Democrats’ Government Shutdown Has Real and Immediate Consequences

Majority Leader | Research | The Leader Board | THE NEWSR...Skip to primary navigation Skip to content×Close THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNE×Close THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNExxsearchxMENUFacebookXInstagramFacebookXInstagramVisit Leader Thune's South Dakota Site Here THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNExxsearchxMENUHomeTHE NEWSROOMThe Leader Board10.01.25Democrats’ Government Shutdown Has Real and Immediate ConsequencesLeader Schumer’s Shutdown Is Already Inflicting Pain on the American People, All so Democrats Can Cater to Their Far-Left Base CHUCK SCHUMER AND DEMOCRATS’ GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IS A LOSING STRATEGY THAT HAS ALREADY SEEN SENATE DEMOCRAT DEFECTIONS“The federal government shut down at 12:01 a.m. this morning. It’s the first government shutdown since 2019.” (Punchbowl News: AM: Shutdown, Day One: What's the way out? – 10/1/25)“Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are going to be furloughed, a real-world impact for families nationwide. The remainder of ‘essential employees’ will work without getting paid.” (Punchbowl News: AM: Shutdown, Day One: What's the way out? – 10/1/25)“Schumer’s move to force a shutdown showdown is a risky one. Shutdowns almost always end when the party that wants to add items to a stopgap bill agrees to reopen the government. But taking a stand — even if it doesn’t lead to significant concessions — gives Democrats an opportunity to take on Trump.” (Bloomberg: Democrats Leverage US Shutdown to Try to Dent Trump’s Dominance – 9/30/25)“Frustration and anger has been building among Democrats since March, when Schumer rolled and allowed a Republican spending bill to become law without a fight.” (Bloomberg: Democrats Leverage US Shutdown to Try to Dent Trump’s Dominance – 9/30/25)“The risk for Schumer is that voters will blame Democrats for the disruption in government services.” (Bloomberg: Democrats Leverage US Shutdown to Try to Dent Trump’s Dominance – 9/30/25)“In an interesting development, two additional Senate Democrats voted for the GOP CR on Tuesday night, bringing that total to three. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Angus King (I-Maine) crossed the aisle to vote yes, along with Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.)” (Punchbowl News: AM: Shutdown, Day One: What's the way out? – 10/1/25)IN STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, DEMOCRATS’ SHUTDOWN IS ALREADY HARMING AMERICANSGEORGIA: “[T]housands of federal employees in Central Georgia face the uncertainty of furloughs and unpaid work, while key services and programs risk suspension. Without a new budget bill, federal programs will pause and workers could be sent home without pay, affecting livelihoods across Central Georgia.” (WMAZ Macon: 'Really increases anxiety' | Government shutdown threatens jobs, services across Central Georgia – 9/30/25)“Federal workers at Robins Air Force Base could be furloughed, while some will work without pay. TSA agents and air traffic controllers at Middle Georgia Regional Airport will also be affected. National parks and historic sites like Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park will close, and programs like WIC and SNAP, which provide food assistance to over a million Georgians, may face suspension.” (WMAZ Macon: 'Really increases anxiety' | Government shutdown threatens jobs, services across Central Georgia – 9/30/25)MICHIGAN: “Military personnel across Michigan are continuing their duties despite the federal government shutdown that has now officially begun, leaving thousands of service members working without pay… The National Guard and other military branches in Michigan are among those affected by the shutdown.” (Fox 47 News Lansing: Federal government shutdown begins as Congress fails to reach funding agreement – 10/1/25)“Michigan has around 30,000 federal civilian employees working in areas from veterans health care to environmental protection, agriculture, and border operations. In a federal shutdown, nonessential staff may be furloughed without pay, while essential personnel continue working but may have delayed pay until funding resumes. That loss of income can ripple through local economies. Reduced spending by those households hits retail, restaurants, services, and housing markets.” (WKAR Michigan State: IN-DEPTH: How the federal shutdown could affect your life in Michigan – 10/1/25)NEVADA: “When it comes to SNAP food assistance, or Women, Infants & Children Nutrition Resources (WIC), benefits are dispersed the month prior. But some are worried that benefits could be delayed if there is a long shutdown, including the Children's Advocacy Alliance, the local nonprofit that helps connect families with needed services.” (News 3 Las Vegas: Uncertainty looms over Nevada as government shutdown could impact federal services – 9/30/25)“They say there are more than 500,000 families in Nevada that receive SNAP benefits, and 52,000 people in Nevada used WIC services last year.” (News 3 Las Vegas: Uncertainty looms over Nevada as government shutdown could impact federal services – 9/30/25)NEW HAMPSHIRE: “With the federal government now in a shutdown, the more than 5,000 federal employees in New Hampshire are girding for furloughs or delayed paychecks. New Hampshire’s federal workforce ranges across the state and across industries: the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the Manchester VA Medical Center, the White Mountain National Forest, the Berlin federal prison, the passport processing center at Pease and at other federal agencies.” (New Hampshire Public Radio: From campgrounds to food aid, assessing the impact of a government shutdown on NH – 9/30/25)“‘I have friends that work at the shipyard,’ said Senate Democratic Leader Rebecca Perkins Kwoka. ‘It's obviously a huge economic driver on the Seacoast. These folks have families. They have kids to provide for. And so, this is a really destabilizing way to run a government.’” (WMUR Manchester: How government shutdown affects federal facilities, workers in New Hampshire – 10/1/25)“As for the New Hampshire National Guard, they expect to furlough about 325 federal civilian employees. Around 500 full-time soldiers and Airmen still need to report to work throughout the shutdown, but they will not be getting paid.” (WMUR Manchester: How government shutdown affects federal facilities, workers in New Hampshire – 10/1/25)REMINDER: DEMOCRATS SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT OVER AN UNSERIOUS DEMAND FOR A $1.5 TRILLION PROGRESSIVE AGENDA“What’s the fight? Plunging millions of Americans into chaos, that’s the fight? Win elections, you know? Hey, I mean, we should try that.” – Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.)Democrats are inflicting pain on the American people to bring back massive government waste at the federal and state level that would cost taxpayers up to $1.5 trillion. (The Wall Street Journal: Meet the Medicaid Double-Dippers – 7/21/25; The Wall Street Journal: Editorial: Chuck Schumer Courts a Government Shutdown – 9/18/25)Democrats shut down the government to eliminate a $50 billion rural hospital fund. (Politico: GOP boosts rural hospital fund – 7/1/25; Paragon Health Institute: Championing Senate Reforms and Countering Rural Hospital Hysteria in the Fight Against Medicaid Money Laundering – 6/27/25)“This unprecedented investment is designed to empower states to transform the existing rural health care infrastructure and build sustainable health care systems that expand access, enhance quality of care, and improve outcomes for patients.” (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: CMS Launches Landmark $50 Billion Rural Health Transformation Program –9/15/25)“The program has five broad goals — promoting preventive care and addressing chronic disease management, improving rural providers’ financial sustainability and efficiency, retaining and recruiting rural healthcare workers for at least five years, developing and implementing innovative payment models, and improving access to innovative technologies, including remote care and digital health tools.” (Healthcare Dive: CMS opens applications for Rural Health Transformation Fund – 9/16/25)Democrats shut down the government to give noncitizens a better health care deal than Americans receive and have taxpayers pay for noncitizens’ Obamacare subsidies, Medicaid, and Medicare. (U.S. Congress: H.R.1 - One Big Beautiful Bill Act – accessed 10/1/25)The One Big Beautiful Bill Act ensures that noncitizens do not receive federal Medicaid benefits by strengthening Medicaid eligibility checks and prohibits parolee noncitizens and others from being eligible for Medicaid, Medicare, and Obamacare subsidies. (U.S. Congress: H.R.1 - One Big Beautiful Bill Act – accessed 10/1/25)Democrats shut down the government to allow unemployed, able-bodied individuals without dependents under 14 years old to receive taxpayer-funded Medicaid. A May 2025 American Enterprise Institute study found, “[f]or Medicaid recipients who do not report working, the most common activity after sleeping is watching television and playing video games. They spend 4.2 hours per day watching television and playing video games, or 125 hours during a 30-day month.” (American Enterprise Institute: How Nondisabled Medicaid Recipients Without Children Spend Their Time – 5/29/25)The One Big Beautiful Bill Act established work requirements for able-bodied adults who don’t have dependent children younger than 14 years of age or a disabled individual in their care. (U.S. Senate Committee on Finance: Crapo Highlights Tax Wins for Hardworking Americans and MainStreet – 6/28/25)DEMOCRATS NEED TO STOP MESSING WITH THE LIVELIHOODS OF AMERICANS AND REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT“As United States Governors, we urgently call on the Senate to immediately pass a clean short-term funding extension to prevent a government shutdown that would deeply harm hardworking Americans across our states.” – 25 U.S. Governors“This legislation will fund the government at current levels, ensuring that the government functions millions of Americans rely on every day can continue as normal and that businesses who contract with the federal government do not experience any lapse in payments… Shutdowns are harmful to the economy, the American people, and our national security.” – U.S. Chamber of Commerce“A shutdown will hurt working people. Period. American workers are not bargaining chips. Senators should stop screwing around and pass the House-passed clean, short term funding bill.” – Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien“Shutdowns don’t save money, they waste money. Under shutdowns, we pay federal workers not to work and rent buildings that aren’t being used, all while requiring costly shutdown planning, inefficient allocation of government resources, and a reduction in the services available to the American people. We should avoid a shutdown and keep the government funded.” – Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget President Maya MacGuineas“As Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said during the Biden presidency, ‘If the government shuts down, it will be average Americans who suffer most . . .’ Schumer needs to put the interests of the American people before his partisan political interests. Vote for a clean funding bill to keep the government open!” – Center for Urban Renewal and EducationPrintEmailTweetNextPreviousTHE NEWSROOMSENATE RESOURCESABOUT LEADER THUNEFacebookXInstagram