WASHINGTON — Republicans are screaming that Democrats just shut down the government because they want free health care for “illegal aliens.”
As the White House put it after Democrats blocked a Senate vote on a funding bill Tuesday, “Democrats put the needs of Illegal Aliens over every American.”
It’s a wildly misleading description of Democrats’ position — and it shows Republicans are worried Democrats will beat them in the messaging battle over the shutdown.
Democrats refused to support a “clean” Republican bill that would have funded the government into November amid intense pressure from their progressive base not to cooperate with Republicans and the Trump administration. It was an unusual move for Democrats, who in the past have insisted the government remain open.
In early September, groups like Indivisible urged Democrats to make clear demands as a condition for supporting a funding bill. Democrats settled on health care — an issue on which they have a sizable polling advantage over Republicans.
