Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., slammed Republican claims that Democrats shut down the government to provide illegal immigrants with healthcare benefits as a "total, absolute, effing lie" during an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Wednesday.
Host Joe Scarborough asked Schumer what he thought about "the lie of the day" coming from Republicans who are arguing that "Democrats are shutting down the government to give illegal immigrants healthcare benefits."
"Joe, you were right on the money," Schumer responded. "It's a total, absolute, effing lie."
VANCE SAYS SENATE DEMOCRATS TOOK GOVERNMENT 'HOSTAGE' WITH SHUTDOWN
Over the past week, members of President Donald Trump's cabinet, such as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, have made posts to X asserting that Democrats are blocking the passage of a spending package because they want the government to provide illegal immigrants with healthcare.
"Democrats are going to shut down the federal government and inflict significant pain on American citizens because President Trump won't force taxpayers to fund free benefits to illegal aliens," Leavitt wrote on X Friday. "Democrats are radical and completely America Last."
On Monday, Miller posted to X that Democrats are "about to block a clean, routine government funding bill because it doesn't give free healthcare to illegals."
GOP ACCUSES DEMS OF RISKING SHUTDOWN TO RESTORE 'ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT HEALTHCARE'
The federal government shut down Wednesday after Democrats and Republicans in the Senate failed to reach a spending agreement before the end of fiscal year 2025 on Sept. 30.
Schumer argued that Republicans are pushing this claim because they're "afraid of the truth," asserting that their party has "decimated healthcare" for many Americans.
"They thought that they could barrel us into a shutdown simply because we wanted to fix that healthcare, and they haven't been able to," he continued. "They've tried to lie, as you said. They tried to bludgeon us, but I think the number one reason that they're lying is they're afraid of the truth."
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According to Schumer, there are "two things" that Democrats must accomplish during the shutdown.
"First, now that we've shown the Republicans that they can't bully us, they can't bludgeon us. They've tried twice to get us to vote for their bill, which does nothing to protect Americans' healthcare. We're willing to sit down and negotiate a good deal to help the American people out of the healthcare dilemma," he explained.
Secondly, Schumer stated that Democrats are going to be "fighting everywhere on TV stations … in the social media, in picketing, in protesting, in emails, in every way."
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He added that when the average American asks why the cost of healthcare has doubled, Democrats will be pointing out that "it's the Republicans who did it."
Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
