Tina Smith just voted to both end CHIP and shut down the government, denying funding to vital government services, including critical national defense programs.
Smith’s decision to shut down the government for purely political reasons is completely reckless. This shutdown is the result of Smith and her Democrat colleagues’ loyalty to liberal Democratic Party leadership, and comes at the expense of troops, taxpayers and hardworking Americans.
Just last month Smith said she was “ready to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to be a fierce advocate for children’s health care. Congress must act now to fund CHIP.” But when she had the chance, Smith voted against a six-year extension to the program, jeopardizing health insurance for 3,876 Minnesota children.
“Tina Smith had to choose between doing what’s best for Minnesota and playing partisan games, and she chose the latter,” said NRSC Spokesman Michael McAdams. “By voting against extending CHIP, critical funding for our troops and programs families rely on, Smith is once again proving that her loyalty lies with her liberal colleagues in Washington, not with Minnesota.”