White House video rips Senate Dems with their own words for ‘hypocrisy’ over looming shutdown

FIRST ON FOX: The White House compiled a highlight reel of Senate Democrats in recent years railing against potential government shutdowns as an attack on democracy, as the same Democrats this week flirt with rejecting a Trump-backed federal funding bill that would avert a looming shutdown. 

“This is a democracy, and in a democracy, hostage tactics are the last resort for those who can’t win their fights through elections, can’t win their fights in Congress, can’t win their fights for the presidency, and can’t win their fights in the courts,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said in a clip included in the White House video. 

“To hold these people hostage instead of just letting them do their jobs, which they want to do while we work out our differences. So wrong.” declared Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in a 2019 video, referring to furloughed federal employees. 

A Trump administration official told Fox News Digital Thursday that Democrat “hypocrisy” and “hatred for Donald Trump” has “overpowered” the party’s common sense. 

DEM HEARD SCREAMING AT COLLEAGUES DESPITE SCHUMER’S UNITY CLAIM AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS

“Last week, Democrats refused to stand for a child battling brain cancer and Angel Moms,” a Trump administration official told Fox News Digital. “Now, their hypocrisy and hatred for Donald Trump have overpowered a commonsense, reasonable funding measure that their party has historically endorsed. This isn’t principled opposition; it’s a vitriolic response to their contempt for President Trump and the undeniable momentum on Republicans’ side.” 

The more than two-minute video included clips from Sens. Schumer, Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Jack Reed, Corey Booker, Tim Kaine, Chris Murphy, Adam Schiff and Amy Klobuchar railing against previous shutdowns or threats of government shutdowns. 

The Trump administration official added in comment to Fox Digital that Democrats’ threats of a shutdown are “purely political theater” and attempts to grandstand. 

“Make no mistake: Democrats’ threats of a Schumer Shutdown are purely political theater,” the official said. “As President Trump works to fulfill his mandate to the American people, Senate Democrats are grandstanding against a measure to keep the government open — one that supports veterans’ benefits and military pay increases.”

SENATE REPUBLICANS COIN ‘SCHUMER SHUTDOWN’ AHEAD OF CRITICAL VOTE ON TRUMP SPENDING BILL

The House passed a Trump-backed federal funding bill Tuesday, largely along partisan lines in a 217 to 213 vote. The bill would fund the federal government through the end of September. 

The bill is now in the Senate’s hands, presenting Democrats in the upper chamber with the option of either passing the bill or triggering a government shutdown Friday at midnight. 

Senate Democrats are reportedly at odds on how to proceed, sources told Fox News Digital this week. 

“They’ve been debating what to do, and there’s been people who feel strongly on both sides,” a Democratic source familiar told Fox News Digital, in reference to several lengthy Senate Democratic caucus meetings in the past couple days. 

Though many Senate Democrats have remained mum on the contents of their recent meetings, multiple lawmakers, such as Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., posted videos to social media stating they planned to vote against the continuing resolution. 

SCOOP: TRUMP CRAFTS PLAN TO CUT SPENDING WITHOUT CONGRESS AFTER SHUTDOWN IS AVERTED

“This is a shutdown bill that’s bad for the economy — let Trump shutdown whatever he wants,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said Sunday. “Hurting everyday folks to use money for tax breaks for the uber-rich. Hell no!” 

Meanwhile, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., was heard by the media screaming inside a private lunch with Senate Democrats on Thursday, which lasted more than an hour.

Gillibrand also was included in the White House highlight reel, where she slammed the 2019 government shutdown as risking children “going to bed hungry.” 

“If this shutdown continues indefinitely, 39 million Americans will risk not having enough food. They will lose their SNAP benefits in February, so that means American children will be going to bed hungry. It’s unacceptable,” she said in the video clip. 

Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson and Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.