President Donald Trump’s administration has blamed Democratic senators for the current federal government shutdown, accusing them of engaging in “political games” and prioritizing the interests of “undocumented immigrants” over American citizens.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated in a press conference that the shutdown occurred because nearly every Democratic senator voted against a “clean” government funding bill—the same type of bill they had supported six months earlier.

She added that the core issue was Republicans’ refusal to force American taxpayers to cover the costs of “free healthcare for undocumented immigrants.”

Leavitt warned that Democrats’ rejection of the funding bill now threatens vital healthcare programs for American citizens, such as the WIC program (for women, infants, and children), community health center funding, and Medicare treatment options.

She also praised President Trump’s recent efforts to improve healthcare for Americans, including a deal with Pfizer to lower drug costs by applying the “most favored nation” pricing principle to Medicaid medications, as well as an executive order on artificial intelligence to accelerate research and treatment for pediatric cancer.

Regarding the “Gaza Plan,” Leavitt mentioned that Trump had given Hamas a deadline and that his plan had received approval from Netanyahu and several Arab and Islamic countries.

Vice President J.D. Vance described the situation as a clear-cut “Democratic shutdown.” He stated that Democrats “shut down the government because they told us, ‘We won’t reopen it unless we get billions of dollars to fund healthcare for undocumented immigrants.’”

Vance warned of the shutdown’s impact on essential services, noting that soldiers would not receive their pay, low-income Americans would stop receiving food assistance, and flood insurance would be affected as hurricane season begins.

He concluded by urging moderate Democrats to “do the right thing and reopen the people's government” and then debate healthcare policy afterward.

Vance also claimed that the real political motive behind Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s actions was fear of a primary challenge from the far left.

He called on all Americans to contact their Democratic senators and pressure them to reopen the government.