Chintan Desai, the Helena school teacher mounting a challenge as a Democrat to Republican U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, distributed a punchy news release yesterday on the government shutdown.

It’s slow this morning, so I thought I’d share his fiery release.

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Democrats refused to provide the votes needed to reopen the government until they strike a deal with President Trump protecting young immigrants from deportation, providing disaster relief and other domestic programs.

Now Republicans are playing the blame game. Congressman Rick Crawford has dodged question after question with no real answers. Moreover, Republicans claim the Democrats care more about illegal immigrants than sick, American children. If Rick Crawford truly cared about sick, American children, he would not have allowed CHIP to expire four months ago.

This government shutdown is another ploy in Trump’s delusion to show that he is unmoved by facts or reason. Republicans in the House and the Senate are playing into his hand and allowing immature power plays to dictate how they run our government to the point that it is no longer functioning.

Chintan Desai, Democratic candidate for Arkansas’s First Congressional District, demands our representative, especially Congressman Crawford, reevaluate their priorities and put a stop to the nonsense that is keeping our government from serving its people.

Paul Spencer, a 2nd District Democratic candidate, has also chimed in:

“Governance isn’t gamesmanship. Our representatives have yet again failed the millions of children who receive healthcare through the Children’s Health Insurance program, the nearly 800,000 young people enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the millions in need of disaster relief in Puerto Rico and the southeast, the 27 million Americans who receive their healthcare through community health clinics, the thousands of federal agency employees that are now furloughed, and the broader American public that they vowed to serve.

When our government and representatives like Mr. French Hill willfully refuse to fund these vital programs and services, but have no issue passing massive tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy, they make it clear where their priorities lie: with their donors, not with the people.

Republicans and, unfortunately, Democrats alike allowed special interests to corrupt and distort our democracy, and now, we are all paying the price.”

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