Senate advances deal to end government shutdown as air traffic control staffing worsens – live updates | CNN Politics

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly wouldn’t say directly whether he has confidence in Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer after a small group of Senate Democrats cut a deal on a package to end the record-breaking shutdown.

Asked by CNN about Schumer’s handling of the shutdown, Kelly pivoted to President Donald Trump, whom he called “an irrational president who doesn’t care about the American people.”

The Arizona Democrat called the Trump administration’s legal battle to avoid paying out the cost of missed SNAP benefits “despicable,” adding, “I don’t think any other American president, any Democrat or Republican … would have handled this the way that Donald Trump did.”

Pressed again on if he had confidence in Schumer, Kelly conceded that it had been a “rough” time for Senate Democrats.

“I’ve been here four and a half years now, and you know, [Schumer has] been the leader, and I understand why, you know, people look at this and say, well, this was kind of a rough, you know, period,” he said.

“But it’s Donald Trump who forced the government to be shut down. You know, he controls the House and the Senate Republicans listen to him,” he added.

Schumer faced fierce backlash earlier this year when he failed to block a separate GOP-led plan to avert a shutdown. Though Schumer voted on Sunday evening against advancing a deal that would keep the government open through January and fund some key agencies, many in the party still expressed frustration with leadership after a compromise was reached among negotiators that didn’t include guarantees to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.

“I’m frustrated with the White House. This guy has really stuck it to the American people,” Kelly said.