Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders appeared on MSNBC Thursday and accused President Donald Trump of engineering the current government shutdown to consolidate power. Lawmakers triggered a federal government shutdown at midnight Wednesday after the Senate fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance a House-passed stopgap funding bill in a 55–45 vote. Sanders said the shutdown isn’t just a political dispute. Democratic leaders rejected any short-term funding bill that left out the extension, while Republicans proposed their own package and blamed Democrats for using the shutdown as political leverage. Trump met with congressional leaders Monday but walked away without a deal, as Democrats pushed for health care concessions, and Republicans demanded a clean extension.