Democrats are using children with cancer as political human shields to protect themselves from blame over a potential government shutdown, in case you are wondering how the party is faring one month after its big election losses.

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), along with Democratic pundits Jon Favreau and Sam Stein, are attacking Republicans for stripping $190 million in pediatric cancer research funding from the government funding bill. This came after Republicans stripped all the excess provisions from the funding bill to ensure that the government remained open, which Democrats then voted against to try and ensure that Republicans get blamed for a government shutdown.