Bridenstine: Republicans Unfairly Blamed Over Shutdown
Rep. Jim Bridenstine says Democrats ‘wanted the shutdown’
By RANDY KREHBIEL World Staff Writer
Republicans in general, and the GOP faction he belongs to in particular, are being unfairly blamed for last month’s 16-day partial government shutdown, U.S. Rep. Jim Bridenstine said Friday.
Democrats “wanted the shutdown,” the first-term Republican told the Tulsa Regional Chamber. “It’s working in their political favor. … They didn’t want to talk about Obamacare.”
Bridenstine was among those pressing hardest for a budget deal that would have required the Obama administration to accept defunding or delaying implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
On Friday, Bridenstine said he had expected President Barack Obama to accept the proposal “in a heartbeat.”