The Office of Management and Budget director is calling it the “Schumer Shutdown” and blaming the deadlock on Democrats insistent on immediate immigration reform as the deadline for Congress to pass a new budget bill looms. Mick Mulvaney says some federal agencies will still be open, though workers will be expected to work without pay,
Republicans and Democrats, predictably, blamed each other in the early hours of Saturday for the failure to prevent a federal government shutdown.
Many government agencies had to cease operations when lawmakers failed to pass a budget plan by midnight.
In the first of a series of early morning tweets Saturday, President Donald Trump said, "Democrats are far more concerned with Illegal Immigrants than they are with our great Military or Safety at our dangerous Southern Border. They could have easily made a deal but decided to play Shutdown politics instead. #WeNeedMoreRepublicansIn18 in order to power through mess!"
Democrats pointed out that Republicans control Congress and the White House, while the GOP zeroed in on Senate Democrats who would not support a stopgap measure.
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again. There is absolutely nothing in this bill that #Senate Democrats oppose, yet they are shutting down the government," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted.
