Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Thursday explained why Democrats won’t accede to any Republican demands to reopen the government, which shuttered on Monday at midnight.
“If we were to give in while the government is shut, to a demand, what do you think happens on the debt ceiling?” he told reporters. “What do you think happens when the CR has to be renewed? The hard right says, ‘See? By holding a gun to their heads, we got something we wanted. We’ll up the ante this time.’ So it’s not the specific proposal… It’s the method — we’re going to threaten and shut the government down until you agree with us. You can’t fall for that legislative blackmail or it’ll get worse and worse and worse.”
