Following the Government Shutdown, U.S. Congressman August Pfluger (R) is condemning Democratic leadership for what he called a "reckless and avoidable" crisis.
"This is a hostage situation," said Pfluger, describing Democratic demands as a "ransom letter" filled with unreasonable policy requests. Chief among those, he said, was a push to reinstate Medicaid benefits for over a million undocumented immigrants, a demand Republicans rejected.
"Let's take Medicaid, for example," Pfluger noted. "Hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud, waste, and abuse were being sent to states like New York and California. A million and a half, at least, illegal aliens were receiving those benefits. And we said, no more of this."
According to Pfluger, Democrats are insisting that cuts made by President Trump be reversed.
"They said, you have to reinstate all that. Well, the answer to that is no," he declared. "We're making progress in making government more accountable to taxpayers, and we're not going to cave."
He also criticized Democrats for lacking leadership and direction during the ongoing budget standoff.
"They are rudderless right now. They have no leadership. They're grasping at thin air," said Pfluger.
Pfluger concluded by urging Democrats to take "a very easy way out of this."
"Go to the Senate floor, vote on a resolution, and let's get on with the business that helps the American people," he said.
