The chairmen of the Erie County Republican Committee and Conservative Party, respectively, put the blame directly on Senator Charles Schumer for the federal government shutdown, which entered its third day Friday. They say the New York Democrat and Senator Minority Leader is putting politics in front of policy, to protect himself from a possible primary challenge.
Standing outside Schumer’s downtown Buffalo office, GOP chair Michael Kracker and longtime Conservative Party leader Ralph Lorigo took turns suggesting Schumer fears a primary challenge from Bronx congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Kracker noted that Schumer has previously opposed government shutdowns but moved to let this one happen.
“The last time Chuck Schumer voted to keep the government open, he got a revolt from the far left in AOC who started to threaten a primary challenge, so now he has made the decision to hold the federal government the American people hostage so that he can protect his seat as a career politician,” he said.
Kracker stated that the consequences of the federal shutdown are real, affecting low-income families, seniors, and veterans. Lorigo says Schumer and his fellow Democrats want to modify the “Big, Beautiful Bill” passed earlier this year to ensure undocumented immigrants receive health care.
“And now the Democrats want to add to each individual family the cost of $12,000 to pay for the medical cost of people who should not be here, people who came here illegally, people who simply were against the law and how they got here, and that's wrong,” Lorigo said.
Schumer, on the Senate floor Wednesday, argued that he and other Democrats are taking their stance to preserve a healthcare tax credit which is set to expire at the end of this year, and protect Americans from rising healthcare costs. He also accused Republicans and the Trump Administration of lying to the public, using scare tactics.
“What's motivating Democrats, and what's motivating me, is simply to take this burden off the shoulders of tens of millions of American families who struggle each week to pay the bills,” Schumer said. “They don't need this huge increase in something as vital as health insurance.
"And the Republicans sort of know this. So, what do they do? They make up lies, absolute lies. They say what they're fighting to do is prevent illegal immigrants from getting federal healthcare dollars. That is a damn lie. Not one dollar of Medicare, Medicaid, or the ACA is allowed to go to undocumented immigrants. Not a dollar."
