By Jonathan D. Salant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
With Congress facing a Friday deadline for passing a spending bill or watching the federal government shut down, President Donald Trump took to Twitter Thursday morning to try to pin the blame on any deadlock on the Democrats -- even though Republicans control both houses of Congress.
The Democrats have some power because there aren't enough Republican votes in either chamber to pass a spending bill without them, and they have their own priorities they want funded in return for their votes.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the Democratic positions "are close to where American values are and much closer than some on the other side."
The issue has arisen because congressional Republicans in December voted to fund the government just through April rather than for the entire fiscal year that ends Sept. 30.
With that as the backdrop, here's what you need to know about seven of the President's Tweets:
Helping the poor afford health insurance
At issue is $7 billion earmarked under the Affordable Care Act to reduce deductibles and out-of-pocket expenditures for lower-income Americans. Trump has threatened to hold up the payments to force congressional Democrats to negotiate repeal of the health care law.
Democrats have offered to support changes, though not outright repeal, but Republicans have refused to compromise on legislation that the Congressional Budget Office said would leave 24 million more Americans without health care by 2026.
Related: Trump tax plan would sock N.J. by killing property tax deduction
Miners' pensions
Congressional Republicans, not Democrats, have stood in the way of a permanent solution to the threat of retired miners losing health care and pensions as mining companies go bankrupt. U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who is up for re-election next year in a state that is trending Republican, has led the effort to keep funding those benefits, which otherwise would run out on Friday.
Manchin last year threatened to block the spending bill that kept the government funded through Friday unless Congress agreed to a permanent solution to the retired miners' pension and health care problems, but the Republicans running Congress refused to do so.
Related: Vote now: Will Trump's tax plan clear Congress?
Military spending
Trump's proposed budget blows up the deal agreed to by congressional Republicans to cap both military and domestic spending in an attempt to reduce the federal deficit. Congressional Democrats have agreed to spend more on defense and border security, but also want their priorities included.
Though Trump promised during the campaign that Mexico would pay for a border wall between the two countries, he instead has tried to get U.S. taxpayers to fund it. Bipartisan opposition kept money for construction out of the spending bill.
A false choice
There is room in the spending bill for increased military spending and money to help poor Americans afford health insurance. While the health funds, known as cost-sharing payments, go to insurance companies, they're designed to reduce deductibles and co-payments for poorer customers.
Define bailout?
Trump, whose assertion that the Affordable Care Act is failing has been refuted by health care experts and the Congressional Budget Office, now defines a bailout as money paid to insurance companies to lower out-of-pocket costs for poorer Americans.
Insurance company employees gave 55 percent of their campaign donations to Republicans in 2016 and just 45 percent to Democrats, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Related: Worried by Trump's temper? Just watch this
Patrolling the borders
Funding border security has never been a partisan issue. In fact, the bipartisan immigration bill that House Republicans refused to bring to the floor for a vote increased border security even as it offered a path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants.
The blame game
Despite the fact that Republicans control the White House and Congress, Trump is trying to affix blame to the minority party rather than show a willingness to make a deal. For someone who touts his negotiating skills, a spending bill should be a light lift -- just give both sides something they want in exchange for their votes.
Whenever the government shuts down, the first thing Americans notice is their inability to visit national parks or go to the Washington memorials, which puts pressure on Congress to make a deal.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais
Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
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