CNN’s Jake Tapper Admits Democrats Are to Blame for Shutdown Based on Traditional Coverage Standards

CNN host Jake Tapper surprised viewers on Wednesday when he placed blame for the looming government shutdown squarely on Senate Democrats — citing the media’s historical precedent for assigning responsibility during budget standoffs.

During a segment of The Lead, Tapper pushed back against House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), who attempted to shift the blame to House Republicans. “So you’re blaming the Republicans for the shutdown,” Tapper said, “but in point of fact, it’s the Democrats in the Senate who are refusing to vote for the clean continuing resolution to fund the government for seven weeks.”

Tapper then explained how shutdowns have traditionally been framed: “The way that we have always covered shutdowns is that the party that is not voting for the CR — the continuing resolution to fund the government — is the party that is blocking the government funding and is responsible for the shutdown. That’s how we did it in 2018, 2019, and even before that, during the Obama administration.”

Senate Democrats are refusing to back the GOP-led continuing resolution, claiming it fails to address what they call a “healthcare crisis.” Rep. Clark argued the CR “takes away healthcare from 4 million more additional people,” and pointed to the GOP’s prior legislation as the root cause.

But Tapper didn’t budge, reiterating that regardless of the political argument, the party blocking the funding bill — in this case, Senate Democrats — bears the responsibility under the precedent set by prior shutdown coverage.

The clip has drawn attention across social media, with conservatives praising Tapper’s rare moment of accountability and some Democrats accusing him of falsely equating the parties. Nonetheless, Tapper’s framing could impact how the broader media reports the blame game in the days ahead.