New York Republicans blast Schumer, Gillibrand over shutdown: ‘You’ve abdicated your responsibility’

FIRST ON FOX: Republicans in New York’s congressional delegation are pressing their two Democratic senators to end the ongoing government shutdown, casting their opposition to the GOP’s funding bill as “radical and harmful” to residents of the Empire State.

The government shutdown has entered its eleventh day with Republicans and Democrats still unable to agree on a path forward. Thousands of government workers, including members of the military and federal law enforcement, are set to miss their first paychecks next week barring a breakthrough.

“You have abdicated your responsibility to New Yorkers. By consistently voting against the clean Continuing Resolution (CR), you have shut down the government with no willingness to reopen operations,” seven House Republicans wrote to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.

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“Throughout both of your decades in federal office, you have consistently supported clean CRs as a way to keep the government funded and open until Congress can pass bipartisan spending bills.”

The Republicans accused their senators of changing course now “to spite President Trump and congressional Republicans,” and called it “a disservice to our nation and our institutions.”

“In fact, both of you have been vocal about your past opposition to shutdowns and the dangers they wreak on the American people,” they wrote.

The letter is being led by Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and is signed by the six other House Republicans representing parts of New York: Reps. Nick Langworthy, Nicole Malliotakis, Claudia Tenney, Nick LaLota, Elise Stefanik, and Andrew Garbarino.

The House passed a measure to keep the government funded at levels roughly even to fiscal year (FY) 2025 through Nov. 21 — called a continuing resolution (CR) — on Sept. 19, mostly along party lines.

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But Democrats in the House and Senate were largely infuriated by being sidelined in federal funding talks and are now demanding any spending deal also include an extension of COVID-19 pandemic-era enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year.

Democrats have argued that a failure to act on those subsidies now will lead to higher health care premiums for millions of Americans by the end of the year. 

Republican leaders who control the House and Senate have said they are willing to hold negotiations on those subsidies, but have insisted the CR must be “clean” without any policy riders. CRs are aimed at giving congressional negotiators more time to strike a longer-term funding deal for FY2026, which began on Oct. 1.

Schumer had been under particular pressure from his left flank to resist the GOP’s plan after his vote was key to helping advance the same bill in March, which extended FY2024 federal funding levels through Sept. 30.

“Just last year in 2024, you said that no reasonable member on either side of the aisle wants a government shutdown. I agree, Senator, your position now is unreasonable,” the House GOP’s Saturday letter read.

The CR has now failed in the Senate seven times. Under the most recent tallies, five more Democrats would be needed to cross the aisle and meet the Senate’s 60-vote threshold to break the filibuster and advance the bill to a final vote. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer and Gillibrand’s offices for a response but did not hear back by press time.