As government shutdown continues, Kansas Republicans blame Democrats

On what threatens to become the longest government shutdown in history, Kansas Republican representatives tend to agree — Democrats are to blame.

It’s the third week of the shutdown, which came after Democrats and Republicans in the Senate failed to reach an agreement on a spending bill that would allocate $5 billion for a border wall. That means it’s the third consecutive week thousands of federal workers across the country have gone without pay.

Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Estes of Kansas said he thinks Democrats need to come to the negotiating table. In a statement, he said the shutdown continues because Democrats “refuse” to help secure the border, which he calls a crisis.

With more emphasis on the importance of Congress and the Trump administration coming together to resolve the shutdown, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., called for a “sense of urgency.”

Moran also acknowledged the negative impacts of the shutdown on federal employees and subcontractors in his state and throughout the country, who have now gone three weeks without pay. In a statement, he placed particular emphasis on farmers in Kansas who “wait in uncertainty as crucial federal aid sits on the desks of furloughed employees.”

U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told KCUR border security is just that important.

“Certainly they have my heartfelt sympathy and concern,” Marshall said. “This is a hill we have to take, and I’m sorry, but I feel like the Democrats are using them as pawns in this.”

Meanwhile, in an interview with NPR, Rep. Sharice Davids, a Kansas Democrat, voiced concerns about Native American communities that rely heavily on government payouts.

But to date, little progress has been made to end the shutdown, as Trump has refused to sign any legislation that does not include funding for the border wall, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has said the president would not get a wall.

• KCUR