The federal government shutdown entered its second week on Monday, with Republican and Democratic legislators still at an impasse over the federal budget. House Republicans passed a “clean” continuing resolution (CR) that was subsequently rejected by Senate Democrats.

On Saturday’s episode of “This Week on Capitol Hill,” Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) explained that Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), chose to let the government languish because the House bill didn’t fund abortions or health care for illegal immigrants. “You know what their ask is? ‘Okay, we’ll do it only if you’ll fund health care for illegals and you’ll pay for abortions, have free abortions.’ That’s what they want,” he explained. “They want Republicans to vote to fund abortion. Come on. I mean, I can’t imagine that’s what’s going to happen.”

“Chuck Schumer — first off, just hates Trump. The Democrats hate Trump. So what they’re saying is they’re going to shut down the government to hurt Trump. Of course, it hurts the American public,” Scott said. “What they’re saying is, ‘No, we won’t fund the Biden budget.’ Because what a clean continuing resolution does is says we’re going to continue to fund at the existing level. Well, that’s the Biden budget,” the senator continued. “So the budget that I didn’t vote for that they passed when they were in power — now they are against this.”

Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) explained on “Washington Watch” last week that House Republicans are “not planning on any votes again next week, until the Senate passes the continuing resolution that the House passed a couple of weeks ago already.” He quipped, “This is, again, Senate Democrats holding up the American people and the government of the American people for their leftist agenda. They want to continue to fund health care to illegals.”

Stutzman continued, “I think if you talk to the average American anywhere in the country that is working hard every day raising their family, when they hear that the American government, our taxpayer dollars, we’re sending those to and giving those dollars to illegal noncitizens in this country — benefits, free health care — most are offended by that. But that’s where the Democrats have doubled down.”

Rep. Mark Alford (R-Mo.) also took to “Washington Watch” to condemn the Democrats for their handling of the shutdown. “Chuck Schumer and the Democrats are holding America hostage, it is their crisis,” Alford asserted. “You might remember back in March, [Schumer] went along with a continuing resolution then, and he got vilified for it, people were after him because he supposedly sided with Republicans,” the congressman recounted. “And so, Chuck Schumer, [House Minority Leader] Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), and the Democrats would rather fight against President Trump than fight for Americans.”

The government shutdown allows for some federal programs to continue operating, but it does mean that the majority of federal employees will not be paid. While congressmen are constitutionally required to be paid, even in the midst of a shutdown, a growing number are choosing to have their pay withheld or donated. Reps. Tom Barrett (R-Mich.), Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.), Lou Correa (D-Calif.), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), and Chip Roy (R-Texas) have asked the House Chief Administrative Officer to withhold their paychecks during the shutdown, Fox News reported. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) opted to donate their salaries to charitable causes.

Scott touted legislation he has been trying to have passed that would tie congressmen’s salaries to funding bills. “If we don’t pass a budget, we don’t get paid. You know, I’m blessed, I made money in business, so I give away my salary every quarter,” the senator shared. “But we shouldn’t get paid, there’s no way we should get paid. … Of course, I’ve had a few votes on that, and it doesn’t pass because people say, ‘Well, that’s not fair.’ No, it’s not fair that other people don’t get paid.”

According to the latest Harvard/CAPS Harris poll, published on Monday, 70% of Americans are opposed to shutting the government down. While a slim majority of survey respondents said that they fault the Republicans for the shutdown, roughly two thirds (65%) of Americans polled said that it’s up to the Democrats to give up on their demands in order to end the shutdown and over half (55%) said that the Democrats’ demands are an attempt to curry favor with their base. Overall, 62% of voters anticipated that Republicans will “win” the shutdown.