Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Monday argued that Republicans and Democrats must work to avert a potential government shutdown, which he says would be “disastrous” for Americans.
“Whatever the motives of the Republican leadership, one thing is clear: A government shutdown would be disastrous for the American people,” Sanders wrote in an op-ed published by The Washington Post.
Sanders, who caucuses with the Democrats, argued that lawmakers are obligated to work together “in a bipartisan manner” to stop a shutdown.
{mosads}“A shutdown would harm tens of millions of working-class families who would be unable to access vital services. It would disrupt the lives of hundreds of thousands of federal employees who would not receive the paychecks they expected,” Sanders wrote.
“It would endanger members of the U.S. military who are putting their lives on the line defending our nation.”
The argument from the Vermont senator comes as President Trump’s proposed border wall has become a sticking point for both Republicans and Democrats.
Trump is pushing for the wall to be a condition for any future deal on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protected certain young immigrants from deportation. Democrats, however, have rejected funding a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
“The Republican Congress must act. A clean Dream Act must be signed into law as part of any budget agreement,” Sanders said in the op-ed.
The DREAM Act would grant work permits and a path to citizenship for young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children.