Senate Democrats are prolonging the government shutdown for political reasons and "holding the American people hostage" to push back against President Donald Trump, Rep. Michelle Fischbach said on Newsmax, Friday.
"We can have the government open," the Minnesota Republican told Newsmax's "Newsline." "We can continue that appropriations process. This is simply them holding the American people hostage for their radical agenda, because they don't like what President Trump is doing."
Fischbach accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of catering to their party's "radical base" rather than working to reopen the government.
"I certainly hope that the Democrats in the Senate realize that they are holding the American people hostage," Fischbach said.
The congresswoman noted that by refusing to pass a clean continuing resolution, Democrats have given Trump's Office of Management and Budget the authority to impose deep cuts.
"It now gives President Trump, OMB, the right to look at very hard cuts," she said. "If the Democrats do it, they are giving the executive branch the ability to do just that."
Fischbach also defended Trump's use of social media, including a recent video of Jeffries and Schumer that critics denounced as inappropriate.
"I am not offended by it. Everybody is offended by everything these days," she said. "Social media is the way that the president is reaching out and talking to his voters. They shouldn't be surprised that he chooses that medium. It is his way to communicate with not only his voters, but the young people in particular."
Responding to claims made by Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., that the GOP budget undermines healthcare while boosting immigration enforcement, Fischbach said Republicans are focused on public safety.
"They clearly are anti-ICE as well, just like some of the folks out there who are antifa and causing all this unrest," she said.
"President Trump and all of the Republicans are doing what they said they would do when they were elected, and that is making sure that Americans in this country are safe, that we are doing what we need to do to protect our citizens so that people aren't killed by illegal aliens," the congresswoman added.
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