Schumer: ‘Reopen the Government’ and Then We’ll Talk Border Security

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:
SCHUMER: "My fellow Americans, we address you tonight for one reason only -- the president of the United States, having failed to get Mexico to pay for his ineffective, unnecessary border wall, and unable to convince Congress or the American people to foot the bill, has shut down the government. American democracy doesn't work that way. We don't govern by temper tantrum. No president should pound the table and demand he gets his way or else the government shuts down, herding millions of Americans who are treated as leverage. Tonight and throughout this debate and throughout his presidency, President Trump has appealed to fear, not fact, division, not unity. Make no mistake, Democrats and president both want stronger border security. However, we sharply disagree with the president about the most effective way to do it. So how do we untangle this mess? Well, there is an obvious solution -- separate the shot down over arguments for border security. There is bipartisan legislation supported by Democrats and Republicans to reopen government while allowing debate over border security to continue. There is no excuse for hurting millions of Americans over a policy difference. Federal workers are about to miss a paycheck. Some families can't get a mortgage to buy a new home. Farmers and small businesses will not get the loans they desperately need. Most presidents have used oval Office addresses for noble purposes. This president just used the backdrop of the Oval Office to manufacture a crisis, stoke fear, and direct attention from the turmoil -- divert attention from the turmoil in his administration. My fellow Americans, there is no challenge so great that our nation cannot rise to meet it. We can reopen the government and continue to discuss policy. We can secure our border without an ineffective expensive wall, and we can welcome legal immigrants and refugees without compromising safety and security. The symbol of America should be the statue of liberty, not a 30 foot wall. So our suggestion is a simple one -- Mr. President, reopen the government, and we can work to resolve our differences over border security, but end this shutdown now."