During Thursday’s edition of CNN’s “OutFront,” Senator Jeff Merkley from Oregon placed the blame for the government shutdown squarely on Republicans. He stated that the shutdown resulted from their unwillingness to backtrack on significant reductions to Americans’ health care, labeling it as a “Republican shutdown.”

Discussing the potential job losses among government workers due to the shutdown, Merkley emphasized that a shutdown does not confer any additional authority on the president. He stated, “If it’s against the law without a shutdown, it’s still against the law with one.” He explained that there are specific procedures for conducting workforce reductions, and failing to follow these makes any firings illegal. He recalled the early days of the administration when numerous firings were conducted improperly, leading to rehiring. Merkley argued that despite claims that Democrats had their chance, a shutdown introduces no new paths.

Merkley reiterated, “Furthermore, Republicans are solely responsible for shutting down the government as a result of their unwillingness to backtrack on huge cuts to health care for Americans. Therefore, it’s entirely a Republican shutdown. Such a situation doesn’t provide any new legal avenues for actions they couldn’t previously take.”