A Republican president would be blamed for this.
You're not too far off the mark. The following is from later in this sordid and sad story:
The two gentlemen callers, in a bid to be funny and show their bona fides as staunch Republicans in what's still definitely Reagan Country, introduce themselves as "President Obama" and "Joe Biden."
It's the Republicans in congress that are stymieing our Dear Leader from bringing about the socioeconomic changes needed to avoid this poor woman's plight.