DENVER – Democratic Sen. Mark Udall, touting his assistance to flood-stricken communities, has accused Republican Rep. Cory Gardner of hindering recovery efforts by shutting down the federal government shortly after last September’s storms ended.

Gardner, who rode with Udall in a National Guard helicopter that rescued people trapped by the floodwaters and whose district was heavily hit in the flooding, has fired back that Udall is politicizing a state tragedy.

The week began with Udall releasing an ad featuring Tara Schroedinger, mayor of a mountain town that was virtually wiped out in last year’s floods, choking back tears as she praises Udall’s assistance. Then on Thursday afternoon, the senator’s campaign slammed Gardner for backing last year’s government shutdown, which required the state to use its stretched coffers to pay for disaster relief.

“Rep. Gardner put his radical, Tea Party ideology over the needs of Colorado communities who were fighting to hold on after the worst natural disaster in our state’s history,” Udall spokeswoman Kristin Lynch said in a statement. “When Coloradans needed him to stand up, Gardner just shut down.”

Gardner’s campaign hit back Friday morning.

“I was incredibly disappointed to hear and see Sen. Udall dismiss our work together on behalf of flood relief last fall,” Gardner said in a statement Friday. “When Colorado suffers a disaster, we have a history of banding together as Coloradans and helping our family, friends and neighbors recover.”

House Republicans triggered the shutdown last year when they refused to fund the government unless Senate Democrats and President Barack Obama defunded the president’s health-care overhaul.

Gardner spokesman Alex Siciliano contended that the congressman never supported the shutdown. However, Gardner, who is close to House Republican leadership, voted with other House Republicans to shoot down Democratic efforts to reopen government and for spending bills designed to be rejected by the U.S. Senate during the 16-day standoff.

Siciliano said before the shutdown Gardner had warned against requiring Democrats to defund the Affordable Care Act as a requirement for keeping government open. Gardner also was one of a minority of Republicans who eventually voted to reopen government.