A frustrated Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., slammed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as the partial government shutdown continues, The Washington Post is reporting.
Johnson made his remarks during a private Republican lunch on Thursday.
This is your fault,” Johnson told McConnell, according to the Post
“Are you suggesting I’m enjoying this?” McConnell is said to have responded.
The confrontation was confirmed by Johnson’s spokesman Ben Voelkel, who said the senator was frustrated by the failure of the Senate to advance either of the two dueling plans to reopen the government, the Post said. McConnell’s aides declined to comment.
During the lunch, senators voiced their concerns to Vice President Mike Pence about the shutdown.
“Nobody was blaming the president,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. “But there was a lot of frustration expressed about the situation we find ourselves in.”
The Senate has rejected two proposals – one by President Donald Trump and one by Democrats – intended to reopen the government.
The Democratic proposal received two more votes than the Trump-backed plan, but both fell short of the 60 needed to advance.
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