Merkley: Shutdown Is GOP's Fault Because They Won't 'Reverse Themselves'

On Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “OutFront,” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) argued that the government shutdown is the fault of Republicans “because they don’t want to, basically, reverse themselves on these massive cuts to Americans’ health care. So, it’s a Republican shutdown.”

While talking about the possibility of firings of government employees during the government shutdown, Merkley said that “there is nothing about a shutdown that gives new powers to the president. So, if it’s illegal without a shutdown, it’s illegal with a shutdown. There are details about how you do reductions in force. If you haven’t gone through all those steps, a firing is illegal. Remember when they first did their big display of firings early in the administration? Many of them were illegal. They had to rehire. Th