Talk of another Democrat-led government shutdown in the fall shows that the minority party has no problem using "federal employees as pawns" to achieve its goals, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., told Newsmax on Tuesday.
Appearing on Newsmax's "Wake Up America," Blackburn blasted Democrats for opposing Republican-backed election integrity measures and warned they are laying the groundwork for another government funding showdown centered on defense spending.
"It is so unseemly that the Democrats repeatedly try to shut down the government and use federal employees as pawns," Blackburn said.
The Tennessee Republican pointed to previous funding fights, including a lengthy Department of Homeland Security shutdown that affected Transportation Security Administration officers, Border Patrol agents, Secret Service personnel, Coast Guard members, Federal Emergency Management Agency employees, and other federal workers.
"Many of those employees were not getting paychecks," Blackburn said. "The Democrats are willing to shut it down again and use federal employees as pawns again in order to achieve their goals."
Blackburn argued that Democrats continue to oppose what she described as common-sense election security reforms supported by Republicans.
Chief among them is the SAVE America Act, legislation backed by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
"We think it makes common sense that you prove that you're a U.S. citizen to register to vote," Blackburn said.
She also highlighted her Election Security Partnership Act, which would encourage states to use a Department of Homeland Security database to verify voter registration rolls and identify noncitizens who may have been improperly registered.
According to Blackburn, 26 states already use the system to compare voter rolls against federal immigration records.
"We want every state to use that system and to verify who is on their voter rolls," she said.
Blackburn accused Democrats of resisting efforts to clean up voter rolls and prevent noncitizens from participating in U.S. elections.
"These are individuals that should not be voting in U.S. elections," she said. "They have no right to be voting in our election."
The senator also defended Senate Republicans' efforts to advance Trump's legislative agenda, including a reconciliation package that would provide additional funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
"Our goal in the Senate is to pass President Trump's agenda," Blackburn said. "That's what the American people voted for, and that is what Republicans are working to deliver."
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