‘Used as Hostages!’: Chuck Schumer Shreds Trump Over Gov Worker Layoffs
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) ripped President Donald Trump on Saturday over the ongoing government shutdown, saying government employees have been “used as hostages” by the president as Republicans and Democrats bicker over a deal.
The Democratic lawmaker made the bold statement while doing an interview with Al Sharpton on MSNBC’s PoliticsNation on Saturday. Sharpton did not seem pleased that the Trump Administration had started laying off thousands of federal workers on Friday, and Schumer complained about it as well.
“It sure seems like President Trump is trying to capitalize on this crisis, doesn’t it senator?” Sharpton asked him.
“It sure does, and the American people don’t like it,” Schumer responded. “Even the government workers, when you talk to them, they resent being used as hostages. they resent being used as pawns by Donald Trump, and it’s the kind of thing that Trump does. But the American people don’t like it.”
Schumer said his assessment was based on discussions with a “whole bunch” of government employees.
Senate Democrats, led by Schumer, voted against a stopgap funding bill earlier this month that would have kept the U.S. government open until Nov. 21. Schumer said the Dems voted against the bill because Republicans were not making enough concessions to his party’s demands regarding Obamacare subsidies.
President Trump, earlier this week, skewered Democrats over their approach and likened it to a “kamikaze attack.”
“Well, they’re the ones who started it… and it’s almost like a kamikaze attack by them. You want to know the truth, this is like a kamikaze attack. You know, they have nothing to lose,” Trump said at the White House last Tuesday.
While Schumer blasted the president and Republicans over the shutdown, he did give Trump some kudos for brokering the Israel-Hamas hostage deal. Schumer said it was “very good” and a “very, very strong step,” but that he would ultimately like to see a two-state solution.
You can watch Schumer talk about the shutdown with Sharpton above, via MSNBC.
