As the federal government shutdown stretched into its 35th day, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., joined Newsmax on Tuesday to blast Democrats for what he called a “political stunt” aimed at leveraging voters ahead of key state elections.
“We’re just twiddling our thumbs up here,” Tuberville said during an appearance on “American Agenda” accusing Democrats of putting “America last” and pushing a “socialist, communist agenda.”
He criticized federal subsidies for programs such as food stamps and Obamacare, calling the latter “a complete disaster” that should be “torn up and rebuilt” to better serve Americans.
The senator also addressed warnings from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who said the Department of Transportation may soon be forced to close portions of U.S. airspace due to staffing and funding shortages caused by the shutdown.
Tuberville argued that the crisis highlights the need to “privatize” federal operations such as the Transportation Security Administration and air traffic control.
“We need to get this out from underneath the federal government,” he said. “Private companies could run it better and with better equipment. President Trump even talked about that in his first term.”
While expressing sympathy for Americans affected by the shutdown, including families relying on federal assistance such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Tuberville maintained that Democrats are responsible for the stalemate.
He predicted the impasse could end later this week, suggesting that Democrats prolonged the shutdown to gain political advantage in Tuesday’s gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, and the mayor’s race in New York City.
“They use every piece of leverage they possibly can,” he said. “These blue-state elections are what this is all about.
“They’ve been indoctrinated to think the federal government should take care of everything. That’s not America.”
Tuberville concluded that he expects the Senate to vote on a deal “Thursday or Friday,” expressing cautious optimism that Republicans will prevail in ending the stalemate.
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