Congressional Republicans are “the only ones who have the power to shut down the government,” according to Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.
At a news conference on Thursday, Senate Democrats discussed budget negotiations ahead of Friday’s deadline to prevent a government shutdown.
Taking to the podium, Leahy admonished his colleagues, remarking, “You Republicans should not want to shut down the government. They are the only ones who have the power to shut down the government.”
Leahy again addressed Congressional Republicans towards the end of his comments, repeating, “You’re the only ones who have the power to shut down the government. Think what that does to the most powerful nation on earth, the greatest nation on earth.”
Leahy’s claim is, of course, incorrect. “The power” to shut down the government lies with either party that declines to come to an agreement. Democrats have the power to block a vote in the Senate by voting down cloture if they disagree with the terms of the bill.
In the increasingly less likely case that Republicans demand a budget with funding for a border wall, Democrats’ decision to reject that bill is just as powerful as Republicans’ decision to demand it. One choice may seem less reasonable to either side, but that does not make it more powerful in a practical sense.
Leahy’s words are another indication that Democrats plan to seize on any demands for border wall funding as an opportunity to frame Republicans as hardline obstructionists, depicting themselves as the reasonable and comprising negotiators.
At the end of the day, it’s all spin.
Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
