Democrats to Party at Napa Retreat During Government Shutdown

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and other Republicans are abandoning their weekend fundraising event as the government shutdown extends, while Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) continues planning Democrats’ fundraising vacation to California’s luxury Napa Valley.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) “Napa Retreat” is would have “still active”, despite Gillibrand, the committee chairman, suggesting At Washington Examiner last week, those plans could change if the shutdown continues.

While the invitation for the event on October 13 and 14 lists Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) and other “Democratic caucus members” as hosts alongside Gillibrand, the freshman senator from Maryland told the outlet, “I’m not hosting anything.”

“When we have a shutdown, we’re not going to be in Napa Valley,” Alsobrooks said.

The Republican fundraiser is scheduled to begin Friday evening on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, and continue through Sunday, but Thune has releasedPunchbowl News reported. Bloomberg reported that “other Republicans will abandon their weekend fundraising trips,” although it’s unclear whether that affects all of them.

The fundraisers come just days after Senate Democrats blocked Republicans’ continuing resolution (CR) for the seventh time on Thursday, prolonging the stress on furloughed government workers.