US House minority leader blames Trump, Republicans for government shutdown, health care crisis

US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday accused President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans of using the government shutdown to deliberately harm working-class Americans.

"It's day three of the Trump-Republican government shutdown and day 257 of the chaos that Donald Trump has been inflicting on the American people since the very beginning of his presidency," Jeffries told the reporters as the federal government remained shuttered for a third day.

Jeffries accused Republicans of holding the government hostage to pursue a partisan agenda that benefits the wealthy at the expense of everyday Americans.

"We're in the midst of a government shutdown that has been caused by Donald Trump and Republicans to inflict further pain on the American people.

"The government is shut down right now because Donald Trump and Republicans refuse to provide health care to working-class Americans," he said.

Jeffries accused Trump and the Republicans of "not behaving responsibly and in a serious manner."

"They don't want to reopen the government, and they certainly do not want to address the health care crisis that Republicans have created throughout this year, including as it relates to their one big, ugly bill that hurts everyday Americans in order to reward their billionaire donors," he said.

Democrats will work in a bipartisan way with their Republican colleagues to try to find a path forward, reopen the government, and reach a spending agreement, Jeffries said, adding: "But it has to meet the needs of the American people if we are going to vote affirmatively on a spending bill."