Blog de Dunlap: They don’t care

Danielle,

The government is set to run out of money tonight at midnight. Once again, Republicans have brought us to the brink of a government shutdown.

Let's talk about how we got here.

Over in Congress right now, we're debating a procedural budget bill to keep the government funded.

The spending plan that Republicans put forward that we're debating includes funding cuts for hospitals, schools, child care centers, and veterans.

But that's not all. This bill will also essentially give Donald Trump a blank check too — one that removes the guardrails from Congress on how he should spend taxpayer funds.

So perhaps Trump and Musk want to shovel $75 million of ALS treatment funding over to anti-vaccine research instead. This Republican bill says that's okay.

And say Trump and Musk decide to fire another 25,000 veterans or kick one million old people out of nursing homes. This Republican bill says that's okay.

Republicans are refusing to sit at the negotiating table with Democrats to work on a spending plan in good faith.

They are saying they'll vote to keep the government open only if we cut money for these critical programs and give Donald Trump more unchecked power.

So I'm voting NO on the Republican shutdown bill.

NO on handing Donald Trump and Elon Musk a blank check to spend your taxpayer money however they want.

NO on cutting funding that helps families put food on the table and crack down on wealthy tax cheats.

Make no mistake: Republicans are forging ahead with their plan to shut down the government.

They don't care about the consequences it will have on you or your family.

That is why I am here in the Senate standing up and fighting back. I'm going to do everything in my power to keep our government up and running for American families — not just for Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and a handful of billionaires.

Thanks for being a part of this,

Elizabeth