McCain: ‘All of us share responsibility’ for government shutdown

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Saturday that “all of us share responsibility” for the government shutdown, blaming both Democrats and Republicans for failing to cooperate for the sake of the country. 

“The government shutdown is a direct result of the breakdown of cooperation in Congress,” McCain said in a statement. “As Republicans and Democrats run to cable news to point fingers and assign blame, the hard reality is that all of us share responsibility for this failure.” 

The longtime senator, who is currently undergoing treatment for brain cancer, was absent for the Senate vote on Friday when the chamber failed to pass the House GOP’s short-term plan to fund the government, triggering a partial government shutdown. 

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Both parties conditioned their votes on partisan issues, with funding for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and Children’s Health Insurance Program both at stake.

“For years, under both a Republican and Democrat-controlled Congress and White House, partisanship has taken precedent over national security,” McCain said. “Political gamesmanship, an unwillingness to compromise, and a lack of resolve on both sides have led us to this point.”