Thune: Schumer Shutdown Day 27
“Democrats don’t want a solution: they want a political issue.”
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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 is a time and a place to debate health care, just like there is a time and place to debate energy policy and immigration and education – but not, not, when the funding of the federal government, and all the lives that are impacted by it, hang in the balance.’
“‘There is a time and a place to debate health care … but not when the funding of the federal government, and all the lives that are impacted by it, hang in the balance.’
“Those are not my words, Mr. President.
“Those are the words of the junior Democrat senator from Connecticut, back in 2013.
“‘There is a time and a place to debate health care … but not when the funding of the federal government, and all the lives that are impacted by it, hang in the balance.’
“These words were once emblematic of the Democrat position here in the Senate.
“Democrats once passionately opposed shutdowns – or so they said – in large part because of the impact they would have on American citizens and American workers.
“Now? Well, now government workers – and every other American affected by this shutdown – have become nothing more than pawns in the Democrats’ political games.
“On Friday federal workers missed their entire paychecks.
“The next paycheck for our troops – for our troops – Mr. President, is in jeopardy.
“And more than 40 million Americans could lose access to food stamps if the shutdown continues.
“Forty million.
“And yet none of it seems to matter to Senate Democrats.
“The party that once decried the impact of shutdowns on Americans in need is now apparently content to see 40 million Americans go without food.
“The senior Democrat senator from Vermont was on TV the other day, and one of the hosts suggested that members of Congress should refuse to take their paychecks during a shutdown.
“And what did the senior Democrat senator from Vermont say?
“He said that some members of Congress couldn’t afford to go without pay.
“That’s right.
“That some members of Congress couldn’t afford to go without pay.
“Does he think that other Americans can?
“The junior Democrat senator from Arizona told NBC News near the beginning of the shutdown that he couldn’t afford to miss his paycheck.
“This was his quote: ‘I’m not wealthy, and I have three kids. I would basically be missing, you know, mortgage payments, rent payments, child support. So it’s not feasible, not gonna happen.’
“What ON EARTH does he think is happening to federal workers – and other Americans out of work because of the Democrats’ shutdown?
“Does he think they don’t have mortgage payments? Rent payments? School expenses? Electric bills?
“If some members of Congress can’t afford to miss a paycheck, how much more is that true for the many workers making a lot less than members of Congress pull down?
“The junior Democrat senator from Minnesota stated that she would not be forgoing her pay because she is continuing to work.
“Because she is continuing to work.
“Do Democrats even hear themselves?
“She does realize, right, that a lot of other people are continuing to work?
“And have been working without pay now for four weeks now, thanks to her actions and those of her Democrat colleagues?
“How many of those workers are going to miss their rent payments or mortgage payments before Democrats are satisfied?
“‘Shutdowns aren’t victimless crimes,’ the senior Democrat from Virginia said – less than a year ago, I might add.
“Well, Mr. President, Democrats’ victims are piling up.
“And Democrats don’t look likely to spare anyone any time soon.
“In fact, they’re freely admitting it.
“The second-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives said recently, and I quote – I’ve got it right here, Mr. President – ‘Of course there will be families that are going to suffer. … But it is one of the few leverage times we have.’
“‘But it is one of the few leverage times we have.’
“I guess the Americans currently lining up at food banks can comfort themselves with the knowledge that they’re being sacrificed to advance Democrats’ political goals.
“Mr. President, if you asked Democrats the reason for the 180-degree flip in their views on shutdowns – if you challenged them to explain their hypocrisy – I suspect you wouldn’t get much of an answer.
“I suspect that at best Democrats would bleat something about how this shutdown is a special case.
“Right?
“A special case.
“It’s always a special case with Democrats.
“A historic blockade of presidential nominees?
“Well, that was a special case.
“Ignore anything that you’ve ever said about shutdowns, right here on the floor of the Senate.
“Well, that was a special case.
“I’ll tell you what’s actually special about this case.
“What’s special about this case is that Democrats’ far-left base demanded a showdown with President Trump.
“And Democrats have abandoned every principle that they possessed related to shutdowns to give it to them.
“And while some Democrats may be privately uncomfortable about all the damage a four-week shutdown is doing, so far they’re too scared of their base to do anything about it.
“Mr. President, Democrats claim that this shutdown is about addressing the expiring Obamacare COVID subsidies.
“But that’s not really what this is about.
“If this were really what this is about, then Democrats would be voting to reopen the government so that we could actually engage in a serious discussion about rising health care costs – and how Obamacare has failed to address them.
“But they’re not.
“Because at the end of the day, Democrats don’t want a solution: they want a political issue.
“And if countless hardworking Americans are sacrificed in the process?
“‘Of course there will be families that are going to suffer. … But it is one of the few leverage times we have.’
“Apparently that’s just fine with the Democrats here in the Senate.
“Mr. President, we’ll be voting once again this week to reopen the government – to reopen the government, restore hardworking Americans’ paychecks, protect nutrition programs, support critical services like air traffic control … and that list goes on and on and on.
“And Democrats will have a 13th chance to vote on a clean, nonpartisan funding bill that will reopen the government.
“All we need are five Democrats to join the three who are with us already, and we could have the government open again in a matter of hours.
“It’s that simple, Mr. President.
“The solution is sitting right at that desk.
“The bill that passed the House a month ago is sitting at this desk and has been now for a month.
“And we have repeatedly called it up asked us to vote on it.
“Every time – every time – we get 55 senators voting for it.
“Everyone knows the rules in Senate require 60.
“But that bill, with five courageous Democrats stepping forward to help us pass it, could be on the president’s desk, signed into law, and this government reopens.
“It could happen today. It could happen this afternoon.
“Let’s just hope that somewhere, those courageous Democrats exist.
“‘Shutdowns — even partial ones — are as devastating as they are stupid,’ that was what the senior Democrat from Virginia said just last year.
“So how do you justify what you’re doing now?
“It’s up to them, Mr. President.
“We can do it, and we can do it today.”
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