Schumer accuses Trump of ‘skipping town’ during shutdown as president heads to Asia for trade talks

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Friday accused President Donald Trump of “skipping town” for a trip to Asia during the ongoing government shutdown.

Trump departed for Asia Friday night for a weeklong trip that will include stops in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea. Republicans and Democrats remain divided on negotiations to end the shutdown that began earlier this month, with each side blaming the other as the GOP controls the White House and both chambers of Congress.

“In the midst of the longest full government shutdown in American history — a crisis of his own making — President Trump’s priorities are severely misplaced,” Schumer said in a statement.

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“While Americans are struggling to make ends meet, federal workers are going without pay, and millions of families are bracing for soaring health care costs, the President is leaving the country,” he continued.

Schumer added: “America is shut down and the President is skipping town.”

The senator said Democrats have sought to meet with Trump, but that the president is “abandoning” his responsibilities.

“Democrats have asked, again and again, for President Trump to meet with us to negotiate a bipartisan deal that would address the healthcare crisis, and find a path forward to reopen the government. But instead of doing his job, President Trump is abandoning it,” Schumer said.

Schumer also called on GOP lawmakers in Congress to work across the aisle to reach a deal to end the shutdown.

“With the President out of the country, the responsibility falls squarely on Congressional Republicans to act — to come to the table, to do their jobs, and to deliver an agreement that reopens the government and protects Americans from another health care disaster,” he said.

“Americans deserve a government that works as hard as they do— not a leader that flies away from responsibility at the time they need one most,” the top Senate Democrat added.

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While in Asia, Trump is expected to meet with regional allies about trade, including the trade war with China, as well as Beijing’s tightening of export controls on rare-earth minerals critical for certain technologies. 

The president is also expected to address security in the region and affirm America’s commitment to supporting its allies.