Trump says if Democrats don’t vote to reopen government 'that’s their problem'

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: President Donald Trump once again blamed Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown, which is nearing a record length, for refusing to vote for Republican-backed funding resolutions.

He claimed that the GOP is nearly unanimous in wanting to reopen operations during his '60 Minutes' interview with Norah O’Donnell.

The shutdown, which began on October 1, affects over one million federal workers who are not getting paid and delays SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans.

Trump says Democrats keep voting against ending government shutdown

The video clip began with Norah O' Donnell saying, "We are now approaching the longest shutdown in American history," to which Donald Trump added, "Democrats' fault."

"Under your presidency, we're talking about more than a million federal workers who are not getting a paycheck, including our air traffic controllers. You see there's traffic snarls out at the airports now? This weekend food aid for more than 42 million Americans is set to expire," the host said, before asking, "What are you doing as president to end the shutdown?"

Trump defended Republicans and blamed Democrats for the government shutdown, saying, “All we're doing this—we keep voting... I mean, the Republicans are voting almost unanimously to end it, and the Democrats keep voting against ending it.”

He added, “You know, they've never had this. This has happened like 18 times before. The Democrats always voted for an extension, always saying, 'Give us an extension, we'll work it out. They have lost their way. They become crazed lunatics. All they have to do Norah is say let's vote.'"

Trump warns about Obamacare: ‘It is bad health care’

During the interview, Donald Trump also warned that without federal subsidies, the cost of insurance under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, could double.

Calling Obamacare “terrible,” the POTUS said, “It’s bad health care at far too high a price. We should fix that. Fix it. And we can fix it with the Democrats. All they have to do is let the country open, and we’ll fix it.”

He noted that he has talked about fixing the health care system for years, including during his first term. “We almost did it. We were one vote short,” he remarked. Trump has helped end previous government shutdowns by bringing members of Congress to the White House for discussions. 

“I'm not going to do it by being extorted by the Democrats who have lost their way. There’s something wrong with these people,” Trump expressed.

The Republican leader went on to say he believes Democrats will eventually give in and vote to end the shutdown. “And if they don’t vote, that’s their problem,” he said.

He also suggested using the “nuclear option” to end the filibuster, even though Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said he won’t do it. “The Republicans have to get tougher. If we end the filibuster, we can do exactly what we want. We're not going to lose power,” Trump insisted.

Trump urges Senate to scrap the filibuster

Recently, Donald Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, urging the Senate to scrap the filibuster so the Republican majority could bypass Democrats and reopen the federal government. He wrote, “The choice is clear. Initiate the ‘Nuclear Option’ and get rid of the filibuster.”

The filibuster is a long-standing Senate tactic that delays or blocks votes by keeping debate going. Overcoming a filibuster requires 60 votes in the full Senate, which gives Democrats a check on the 53-seat Republican majority. The shutdown, which began on October 1 when the new fiscal year started, stemmed from this Republican-Democrat deadlock.

Trump said ending the filibuster could change how the Senate and congressional negotiations operate. He noted in his post that he thought carefully about the decision during his flight back from the Asia tour.

His call to end the filibuster came as some senators and House Speaker Mike Johnson argued it was time to end the government shutdown. It remains unclear whether lawmakers will follow Trump’s advice or continue negotiating with Democrats.