Thune: Schumer Shutdown Day 23
“The shutdown could be over in a matter of hours if just five Democrats would agree. But unfortunately, the shadow of Democrats’ far-left base continues to stand in the way.”
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WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:
Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):
“Mr. President, there was a time when Democrats opposed government shutdowns.
“And not just opposed.
“Democrats were critical of holding government funding hostage to political demands.
“Our Democrat colleague from Michigan said that funding the government is ‘Congress’ most basic responsibility.’
“The senior senator from Massachusetts – a leading Democrat – said, and I quote, ‘The least we can do – the bare minimum that we can do – would be to pass a “continuing resolution” to keep the doors open and the lights on.’
“And the Democrat leader – just last year – decried the ‘chaos and pain and needless heartache’ that a shutdown brings to American families.
“So, what’s changed?
“Why are Democrats in 2025 suddenly comfortable shutting down the government and subjecting Americans to all that chaos, pain, and heartache that the Democrat leader described?
“Why did Democrats instigate the longest full government shutdown in history?
“Well, they’d like you to believe that it’s about health care.
“It’s not.
“Republicans have been perfectly clear that we’re willing to have a discussion about health care – just not while government funding is being held hostage, and all the federal employees that come with that.
“So if this were really about health care, Democrats would be voting in favor of the clean CR as the quickest way to reopen the government and start the discussions.
“But that’s not where we are.
“And that’s because what’s really driving Democrats isn’t health care.
“It’s not a desire for negotiations.
“It’s politics and far-left activists who demanded a showdown with President Trump.
“The real reason we’re now in the longest full government shutdown in history is because Democrats are afraid of backlash from the far left if they stand down.
“One Democrat senator was quoted this week saying, and I quote, ‘“People are going to get hammered” if they vote for the House-passed bill to reopen the government and keep it funded through Nov. 21.’
“‘People are going to get hammered’ if they vote for the clean continuing resolution.
“That’s from a Democrat senator, Mr. President.
“Hammered by outside groups.
“Hammered by left-wing political activists.
“Or take it from one of the organizers of Saturday’s No Kings rally who said, and I quote, ‘I’m telling every elected I talk to:’ – that is, every elected official that I talk to – ‘millions will be out cheering you on, or they’ll be calling for new leadership.’
“Democrats, Mr. President, are keeping the government shut down because they’re scared.
“Scared of a primary from the left.
“Scared of losing fundraising dollars.
“Scared that the far left will punish them if they don’t appear to be fighting President Trump hard enough.
“Unfortunately, Mr. President, Democrats’ political games are having real consequences.
“Airport tower staffing shortages have caused thousands – thousands – of flight delays nationwide.
“Medicare patients and people in rural areas are dealing with the elimination of telehealth services.
“Military families have turned to food banks in ‘unprecedented’ numbers.
“And things are about to get worse.
“The nutrition assistance programs that millions of Americans depend on to feed their families are in jeopardy.
“And tomorrow, federal workers will miss a full paycheck because of the Democrat shutdown.
“That’s right.
“Tomorrow, federal employees will miss a full paycheck thanks to Senate Democrats.
“Mr. President, Republicans want to do something about this.
“We’d love to pass the clean, continuing, nonpartisan resolution, which would pay everyone.
“Passed the House a long time ago, we’ve voted on it 12 times here now.
“They continue to, with three exceptions, to block vote against it.
“Twelve times now, Democrats have blocked just paying our federal employees.
“And Mr. President, it’s federal employees all throughout the federal workforce, which literally is millions of Americans.
“But it’s people right here.
“People in this chamber, people in this building, had to stay here night before last, all night – all night – to listen to some Democrats drone on.
“One Democrat senator read the same poem four times.
“They were here all night, not getting paid – 335, exactly, federal employees – in this building, had to stay here all night, work through the night and into the next day so [the Democrats] could make some campaign political speech or point in the middle of the night.
“That nobody’s listening to, obviously, which is why I guess you read the same poem four times, four different times, reading from books while the people sitting here doing the work aren’t getting paid.
“And so today, Mr. President, we’re going to have a vote on Senator Ron Johnson’s bill that would guarantee pay for federal employees who are working through the shutdown.
“The 335 people who had to be here night before last to listen to that, they would finally get paid.
“It’s also people like air traffic controllers, TSA agents, park rangers.
“Federal law enforcement, ICE, Border Patrol – people putting their lives at risk to keep Americans safe.
“So we’ll see what Democrats do.
“Do they think that people that are working ought to get paid?
“Well, to date Democrats have rejected every opportunity they’ve been given to put the American people ahead of their far-left base.
“As I said, they’ve rejected a clean CR, now, 12 times.
“A CR, a continuing resolution that would fund the government until November the 21st to give us time to finish the appropriations process.
“A clean CR, a nonpartisan CR, a CR that has no partisan riders, no policy gimmicks.
“That came over from the House, just clean, just fund the government straight-up, sitting right here at the desk of the United States Senate.
“Five Democrats could help us pass it today.
“We could send it to the president.
“He would sign it into law.
“The government opens up.
“And all the people here and across our federal government would get paid.
“Last week, the Democrats blocked the bipartisan defense appropriations bill that would have paid our troops.
“It came out of the Senate Appropriations Committee by a vote of 26-3.
“Very bipartisan on the floor – should have been, usually is, usually gets 80-plus votes on the floor of the Senate.
“But they blocked it.
“Would have paid our troops, defense appropriations bill.
“So today [they’re] going to have another opportunity to show whether they stand on the side of hardworking Americans or remain beholden to their far-left base.
“Now, Mr. President, we’ve heard Democrats this week criticize Senator Johnson’s bill because it would provide pay only to workers who continue to work through the shutdown.
“They say they want everybody to get paid.
“I’ve got great news for them:
“The clean continuing resolution sitting at the desk would pay everybody!
“Everybody!
“We just need five more Democrats to support it.
“Five more gets us to 60. Takes a supermajority in the Senate.
“Democrats are the only thing standing in the way of the outcome that they say they want – which is for everybody to get paid.
“So Mr. President, the clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution sits right there at the desk.
“The president, President Trump, is ready to sign it.
“The shutdown could be over in a matter of hours if just five Democrats would agree.
“But unfortunately, the shadow of Democrats’ far-left base continues to stand in the way.
“And you don’t have to take it from me.
“As one source familiar with Democrats’ thinking told The Hill this week, and I quote, ‘“We would have enough votes” to reopen the government “if people were not terrified of getting the guillotine.”’
“We would have enough votes to reopen the government if Democrats were not terrified of getting the guillotine.
“Mr. President, we just need five Democrats to show some courage.
“This was a statement made yesterday by a Democrat House member.
“And sometimes people around here say the quiet part out loud, sometimes they just, it’s just kind of subconsciously.
“And this is what she said – she’s a member of the Democrat leadership in the House of Representatives – ‘Of course there will be families that are going to suffer … but it is one of the few leverage times we have.’
“Boy, just take that in.
“Take that in.
“‘Of course there will be families that are going to suffer,’ but we don’t want to give up our leverage!
“Leverage for what? Leverage for what?
“Mr. President, we need five Democrats to show a little courage.
“Reopen the government, and let’s get to work.”
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