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House Ways & Means Committee member Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) said Democrats are relying on the "Gruber effect" to get the public to blame Republicans for the shutdown.

In an apparent reference to the architect of ObamaCare, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Jonathan Gruber, Kelly said Democrats are hoping voters "will not understand the issue."

After the implementation of ObamaCare, Gruber was caught on tape saying that the passage of the law depended on the "lack of economic understanding" and "stupidity of the American voter."

Kelly said Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other top Democrats are betting on the same "Gruber effect," hoping "the American people will not understand the issue."

Kelly said that with the standard spending package or budget resolution like the one initially considered, there was no reason to insert immigration policy into the discussion.

This evening I spoke on the House floor and called on Senate Democrats to end the #SchumerShutdown. They are putting thousands of non-citizens before millions of American children and troops. It is hypocritical and indefensible. Read my official statement: https://t.co/fTINYFITUm pic.twitter.com/xA29DWsmL7 — Rep. Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyPA) January 21, 2018

He said that funding for the Childrens Health Insurance Program and military salaries was in the initial legislation and that under normal circumstances, DACA would be an entirely separate issue.

"Senator Schumer brought this about because he has the ability to filibuster this funding bill," he said, adding that Schumer has used the same issues of troops' paychecks and CHIP to try to claim Republicans are refusing to fund those programs.

"That's all in that piece of funding legislation," he said. "Why would you shut down the government over an immigration issue that has nothing to do with funding?"

In a Saturday speech, Schumer offered his own accounting of events, saying President Trump "won't take yes for an answer" and is being held at bay by "hard-right" Republicans.

Watch more above.

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