Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has a real problem. People are realizing that the extended government shutdown is his own deliberate, cynical strategy.

The Democrats and the propaganda media desperately want Americans to blame President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans for the shutdown. But the facts are simply in their way. The House Republicans did their job on Sept. 19.

They passed a clean budget resolution to keep the government open without increasing spending. There were no new policy issues. There were no so-called poison pills to cost Democratic votes. There was no clever maneuvering. It was a simple, clean resolution – specifically designed to avoid drama and fund the federal government while the Congress and the President negotiate next year’s funding.

Further, this was a normal move. Simple, clean continuing resolutions have been used by Democratic-and Republican-led Congresses and presidents for many years. (RELATED: Jake Tapper Amazed How Democrats Convinced Voters Shutdown Was GOP’s Fault) 

Unfortunately, for the country – and especially government employees – Schumer saw this as an opportunity to hold the entire country hostage to prove Democrats could get a supposed win.

In a Punchbowl News interview, Schumer was arrogantly open about this manipulative calculation:

“Even the threat of shutting things — ‘We’re gonna close this, we’re gonna close that.’ It’s [reflecting] at least as negative on them as it is on us. I think more so on them,” Schumer said.

With the government closed, programs getting suspended, and military, air traffic controllers, and others being forced to work without pay, Schumer said, “Every Day gets better for us.”

Republican Senate Whip John Barrasso clearly accessed Schumer’s shutdown strategy:

“They are choosing politics over the paychecks of the American working men and women who protect our nation. And this weakness defines today’s Democrat Party. They’re radical, extreme, dangerous, scary, and they are out of touch.”

Schumer’s position is so amoral, cynical, and cruel, even the Washington Post editorialized, “The Democrats are playing a dangerous game.”

As you read the various propaganda media stories about people suffering from the government shutdown, remember Democratic Leader Schumer thinks “every day gets better us.” Meanwhile, every day gets worse for struggling Americans and federal employees.

The great irony of this fight is most of the Democrats’ demands – with which they are holding the government hostage – are repudiated by the American people.

America’s New Majority Project asked the Americans a series of questions about the fight over Medicaid and the government shutdown. Americans rejected every major Democratic demand.

The Democrats insist on spending more money. This is a 13 percent position. A plurality of Americans (45 percent) want the government to spend less money. Further, 27 percent want government spending to stay where it is. As Democratic leaders increasingly identify with people like Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Zohran Mamdani, only 13 percent of Americans want a bigger government that spends more.

The Democrats have also focused their effort on stripping popular Republican Medicaid reforms. As Schumer’s said to Punchbowl News, “we’ve thought about this long in advance and we knew that health care would be the focal point on Sept. 30 and we prepared for it.”

This was a stunning admission.

A full 78 percent of Americans support requiring able-bodied adults to work or seek job training to get health care benefits. Reforms to stop people from cheating the system are supported by 84% of the country. By 63 percent to 23 percent, Americans oppose allowing tax dollars to pay for health care for illegal immigrants. The Democrats want to get rid of all these reforms in the budget resolution.

At a deeper level, Americans want to find ways to save money on health programs. Meanwhile, the Democrats claim any reduction in spending (or any savings) is a cut. The American people deeply disagree. By 53 percent to 25 percent, Americans believe that reforms that reduce costs are savings – not cuts.

Finally, 73 percent of Americans believe we could save hundreds of billions of dollars by cutting waste and fraud from government programs. Who on earth wouldn’t want to save money this way?

It is time to reopen the government. Schumer’s cynical, cruel strategy is creating pain by design. Democrats have been hurting people – and the country – for perceived political points over goals which most Americans reject.

Everyone should demand that the government be reopened. The House Republican’s clean budget resolution is still sitting in the Senate. It could be passed and within two or three hours and the government can be funded again.

Schumer and the Democrats are the only thing standing between federal workers and their paychecks – and the American people and their government.

Congress and the President could open the government today. The Democrats should end their cynical scheme and get back to work.

For more commentary from Newt Gingrich, visit our website or Substack. Also, subscribe to the Newt’s World podcast.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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