U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York says the shutdown negotiations are at a standstill because the president keeps undercutting his own team.
At a press conference about a shingles vaccine shortage on Long Island caused by the shutdown, Senator Schumer commented on the president’s demands.
Schumer said the border security and wall debate can happen with the government open.
“Whatever dispute there is on border security, one side says one thing, one side says the other. Fine. But don’t shut down the government as hostage, open it up quick and we’re going to try to do that again this week.”
He says members of the White House and the president are not on the same page with their statements and that makes negotiating difficult.
Meanwhile, incoming Connecticut Democratic Governor Ned Lamont shared his thoughts on the continued partial shutdown at the state Capitol in Hartford on Monday.
“I think it’s unconscionable what they are doing in Washington, D.C. And they are playing with people’s lives. And you can imagine if we did that in the state of Connecticut. Imagine if we said that schools will open at a later date. That senior center, we’ll get back to you. Public safety, we can’t do it right now. You know we don’t have that luxury to play those games. And I’m not going to let Connecticut play those games. And I think what they are doing in Washington is dead wrong.”
Lamont will be sworn in as the 89th governor of Connecticut on Wednesday.
