WASHINGTON – As the federal government goes into a third day of a partial shutdown, Sen. Tina Smith gives a contradictory defense of her support for the shutdown.
In an interview on CNN Friday, Smith contradicted herself as she attempted to defend her decision to shut down the government. Smith started out the interview slamming short-term budget extensions.
“These short-term budget fixes don’t really fix anything,” Smith said.
Despite disapproving of a short-term solution, Smith was quick to defend a 4-5 day extension advocated for by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, leaving the CNN anchor confused by the about-face.
To add to the confusion, Smith also touted her refusal to vote to keep the government open while attempting to blame Republicans for the shutdown.
Watch a clip of the interview below.
Despite Democrats attempting to stand firm on the decision to shut down the government, Schumer announced this morning a new deal with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, agreeing to vote to break the filibuster. Schumer admitted the resolution may not satisfy everybody, but is “a way forward.” The government is expected to reopen today.
