Washington, Oct. 2 -- US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday blamed the Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown, accusing Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries of deliberately triggering the crisis.
"This is a choice that Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries have made, and if they want to shut the government down, then there are ramifications," Bessent said in an interview on CNBC's 'Squawk Box', reports CBS News.
Accusing the Democrats of negotiating like "terrorists," Bessent said they were holding the budget process hostage by attaching healthcare provisions and restrictions on presidential authority to their short-term funding proposal.
Republicans in the House had passed a continuing re...