Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said the current fight over a Republican spending bill was the "best time" for Democrats to take on President Trump, coming less than two months into his presidency.

Speaking on CNN on Thursday, Merkley said, “The best time to take on a tyrant is as early as possible, and this is the moment."

Merkley argued a government shutdown would hurt Republicans politically and restore Democratic leverage in spending battles with GOP majorities.

"It will be bad policy, and we will get back to using our leverage in an effective fashion," he said in his........

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