As Democrats attempt to blame the GOP for the government shutdown, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer said the real reason for the shutdown is the party’s “misguided priorities” and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s fear of his leftist base.

“What’s behind the shutdown is you have a scared old man that’s afraid of losing his leadership position, a guy by the name of Chuck Schumer over in the Senate,” he said.

“This has nothing to do with healthcare. This had to do, again, with Chuck Schumer and Democrats’ misguided priorities that put illegals ahead of taxpaying American citizens,” he added.

In a Thursday statement by Senate Democrats, Schumer blamed the shutdown on President Donald Trump’s “chaos.” He said the problem lies with cuts to healthcare funding, saying that Republicans must “work with Democrats to reach an agreement to reopen the government and lower healthcare costs.”

Despite Schumer’s criticisms, Emmer doubled down, saying, “We didn’t take away anyone’s healthcare. What we did was strengthen Medicaid for the people that it’s intended for.”

“We gave them a bill to keep the government open. They need to pass that as soon as possible,” he went on. “[But] it’s amazing to me, they are so tone-deaf when it comes to mainstream USA and mainstream Americans, they just can’t get out of their own way.”

He predicted the Democratic Party, especially its leadership, will suffer devastating political blowback over the shutdown and that it will only get worse for them as it drags on and military service members and essential government services begin to be impacted.

“The blowback is ultimately Chuck Schumer is no longer the leader in the Senate, the minority leader,” he said, adding, “I think you’re going to see possibly a change in leadership on the Democrat side in the House too.”

“They are a party without a leader and without a message. They’re desperately trying to find something that they can talk about. The problem is they didn’t listen to the American people last November.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Speaking on MSNBC earlier this week, Schumer said the idea that Democrats shut down the government to give illegals healthcare a “total, absolute, effing lie.”

Schumer argued that Republicans are pushing this claim because they’re “afraid of the truth,” asserting that their party has “decimated healthcare” for many Americans.