Republican senators criticize Trump for attacking blue states amid shutdown:
A handful of Republican senators are criticizing President Donald Trump’s administration for suspending billions of dollars in previously approved federal funds to Democratic states for what appear to be blatant political reasons amid the ongoing government shutdown.
White House Budget Director Russ Vought confirmed earlier this month that $18 billion in New York City infrastructure projects and $2.1 billion for similar projects in Chicago are being withheld, as well as $8 billion in clean energy programs in 16 Democratic states.
This seemingly vindictive approach has drawn a range of criticism from some Republicans, including Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), as well as Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), and Shelley Moore Capito. (RW.Va.).
Murkowski noted that the Trump administration is harming countless members of its own base.
“Show me a blue state in America where you don’t have pockets, maybe even big ones, of Republicans, conservatives, MAGA people or pro-Trump people,” he told The Hill reporter Alexander Bolton in an article published Tuesday. “Don’t we care about them?”
Murkowski added: “Are we just saying, ‘If you don’t like it, you should move to a place where you have a Republican governor?’ It doesn’t make sense. Why are we punitive? “It’s hard enough when the government doesn’t work as it should.”
He continued: “Let’s not punish Americans just to score political points.”
The government shutdown is currently in its fourth week and began due to a clash between Republicans and Democrats over measures aimed at protecting health insurance for millions of Americans. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers could be laid off.
Trump told News in an interview aired over the weekend that he is “cutting back” the Gateway Tunnel project, a $16 billion initiative to expand train service between New York and New Jersey, in another apparent attempt to pressure Democrats to agree.
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When asked if he supported rejecting projects out of political vendetta, Moran spoke bluntly.
“No, I don’t know,” the Kansas Republican told Bolton, adding, “It’s not about what political party, what color your state is associated with, it’s about the value of the project, which is determined by Congress and implemented by the administration.”
Collins also told Bolton that he is “not in favor of that,” but also blamed Democrats for not being “more cooperative in opening up the government.” He said that in recent weeks they blocked a supposedly “clean” government funding stopgap passed by the House.
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Capito eventually warned that this apparent punishment of Democratic states could one day hurt Republicans. He recalled that former President Barack Obama limited coal and fossil fuel production in his home state when his party had similar influence during his term.
Asked if he thought it was appropriate to cut funding to states simply because they are run by Democrats, Capito told Bolton: “I don’t think so… Someday it will be on the other foot and I don’t think that’s a good precedent to set.”