WASHINGTON (Oct. 10) – It’s Day 10 of the federal government shutdown and Rep. Tom Emmer, R-6th District, is blaming President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel millions of dollars in energy grants to his district to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer – and Sen. Tina Smith.
Trump’s Energy Department recently terminated $7.5 billion in grants for U.S. energy projects – including more than $500 million that was earmarked for Minnesota.
The Energy Department said it made its decision to roll back the grants because they “failed to meet the standards required to justify continued taxpayer investment and would have led to less reliable, more expensive energy.”
But when asked by a reporter at Friday morning’s GOP leadership press conference about the loss of $7 million in grants to Emmer’s 6th District, the lawmaker said Trump was forced to make “difficult decisions” about spending because of the government shutdown, which he blamed on Schumer and Smith.
There was no mention that Sen. Amy Klobuchar has also consistently voted against a GOP stopgap measure that would fund the federal government until Nov. 21, but does not contain increases in health care spending Democrats demand.
“Call Tina Smith and ask her to reopen the government,” Emmer demanded.
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