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 Board09.17.25Democrats’ Obstruction Knows No BoundsFrom Funding the Government, to Confirming Low-Level Nominees, to Politicizing the Must-Pass NDAA, Democrats Are Throwing Sand in the Gears of Basic Governance FEARING THEIR PROGRESSIVE BASE, SENATE DEMOCRATS SEEM INTENT ON SHUTTING DOWN THE GOVERNMENT“House Republicans are charging ahead with their Nov. 21 CR. The measure is relatively clean, meaning it doesn’t have partisan policy riders. Democrats seem to agree, because they’re attacking what’s not in the bill — health care provisions — rather than what is.” (Punchbowl News: AM: Fed Day hits different this time – 9/17/25)“The pressure is rising on Democrats to stiff President Trump and let the government shut down on Oct. 1.” (Axios: Democrats embrace government shutdowns in Trump 2.0 – 9/10/25)“These Democrats don’t think it’s enough to ask to extend enhanced Obamacare premium subsidies. They want Democratic leaders to take the fight to President Donald Trump and Hill Republicans — even if it means a government shutdown.” (Punchbowl News: Midday: Democrats spoiling for a shutdown fight – 9/10/25)In response to Republicans’ clean CR, Democrats are saying they will release a partisan plan to fund the government that would repeal parts of Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act. (Punchbowl News: AM: Fed Day hits different this time – 9/17/25)“Of course, there’s no chance Republicans would agree to tinker with their signature legislative achievement.” (Punchbowl News: AM: Fed Day hits different this time – 9/17/25)“Plunging into a shutdown is risky for Democratic leaders, who rejected the option earlier this year. But a shutdown fight might be the only action that appeases their deeply unsatisfied party base.” (Axios: Democrats embrace government shutdowns in Trump 2.0 – 9/10/25)“Liberal activists are ratcheting up pressure behind the scenes on congressional Democrats to play hardball with Republicans over a looming government shutdown — and party leaders appear to be heeding their call for now.” (Politico: MoveOn demands Schumer and Jeffries ‘hold the line’ on health care in shutdown fight – 9/12/25)“A crowd ranging from Senate progressives like Elizabeth Warren and Chris Murphy to center-left New York Times columnist Ezra Klein is clamoring for Democrats to play hardball.” (Axios: Democrats embrace government shutdowns in Trump 2.0 – 9/10/25)“The progressive group MoveOn urged Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a private letter that they should ‘hold the line’ and withhold their votes to keep the government open unless GOP lawmakers make concessions on health care policy.” (Politico: MoveOn demands Schumer and Jeffries ‘hold the line’ on health care in shutdown fight – 9/12/25)“It is part of a growing chorus among liberals to exact some concessions from congressional Republicans out of the looming government deadline.” (Politico: MoveOn demands Schumer and Jeffries ‘hold the line’ on health care in shutdown fight – 9/12/25)“Progressives are watching Schumer’s moves closely after another government funding showdown earlier this year. In March, Schumer came under fire from liberal activists and House Democrats when he voted to advance a Republican bill to avoid a shutdown.” (Politico: MoveOn demands Schumer and Jeffries ‘hold the line’ on health care in shutdown fight – 9/12/25)THIS POTENTIAL DEMOCRAT-INDUCED SHUTDOWN COMES AFTER SENATE DEMOCRATS LAUNCHED A HISTORIC BLOCKADE OF ALL OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S CIVILIAN NOMINEES“We’re almost eight months into Mr. Trump’s second term, and the GOP Senate hasn’t approved a single nominee by voice or unanimous consent, the quickest path to confirmation. About 300 of Mr. Trump’s civilian nominees are in the Senate queue. Democrats are holding up even minor nominees who won bipartisan support in committee.” (The Wall Street Journal: A Senate Confirmation Fast Lane? – 9/7/25)“Democrats have forced Thune to burn valuable floor time all year to confirm non-controversial nominees.” (Punchbowl News: AM: Johnson's to-do list for Tuesday – 9/16/25)President Trump is still the only president on record not to have a single civilian nominee confirmed by unanimous consent or voice vote at this point in his administration. (U.S. Congress: 119th Congress Nominees – accessed 9/17/25; The Daily Caller: EXCLUSIVE: Thune Says Trump Nominees Are Being Confirmed At Rapid Pace Despite ‘Historic’ Obstruction – 6/14/25)“[I]n less frenzied times, uncontroversial picks for relatively minor jobs—all those deputy assistant secretaries—get approved by voice vote or unanimous consent. In President Obama’s first term, 90% of nominees were confirmed that way. It was 65% in Mr. Trump’s first term and 57% under President Biden.” (The Wall Street Journal: A Senate Confirmation Fast Lane? – 9/7/25)“[T]he increasing confirmation logjam has consequences for governance. Mr. Trump is fast approaching a year in office with many executive posts still vacant or filled by ‘acting’ officials with supposedly temporary power. This hamstrings the Administration’s ability to advance its agenda.” (The Wall Street Journal: A Senate Confirmation Fast Lane? – 9/7/25)“Democrats are in no mood to help Republicans clear these nominees, even the non-controversial ones.” (Punchbowl News: Midday: Why Trump wants Thune to cancel August recess – 7/21/25)Schumer’s obstruction didn’t end there – he also forced the Senate to send dozens of nominees back to committee, objecting to procedural practices that senators on both sides regularly use to speed up noncontroversial committee work. (Punchbowl News’ Andrew Desiderio: post on X – 9/9/25)“Nearly every Senate committee authorizes the use of proxy voting and there usually aren’t objections on the Senate floor. But this is another example of Senate Democrats playing hardball and forcing slowdowns.” (Punchbowl News: AM: Congress is barreling toward a shutdown – 9/15/25) SCHUMER IS ALSO POLITICIZING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT (NDAA) BY PROPOSING UNRELATED AMENDMENTS, PREVENTING ITS SWIFT CONSIDERATIONWhile in the majority in previous years, Schumer emphasized the need for senators to not propose “dilatory” and “toxic” amendments to the NDAA:“We want both sides to have input, but neither side should derail the bill… The Senate process on the NDAA stands in sharp contrast with what we saw in the House. In the Senate, Democrats and Republicans have worked together, mindful of the importance to preserve our national security, while the process in the House, unfortunately, was sadly delayed and at times derailed by wildly partisan and irrelevant hard right amendments that have nothing to do with defense. We have not seen that so far in the Senate [and] we should keep it that way.” – Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) (7/19/23)“I hope we can have an open and constructive amendment process for the NDAA, without needless delay or dilatory tactics. I certainly hope we do not see the kind of controversy that severely hindered the NDAA process over in the House. Both sides should defeat potentially toxic amendments and refrain from delaying the NDAA’s passage.” – Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) (7/18/23)But now in the minority, Schumer forced the Senate to take a political show vote on an issue completely unrelated to defense policy:“In a surprise move, Schumer teed up a procedural vote on a measure directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to make public any available documents that the Justice Department possesses related to Epstein and his associates. Schumer filed the proposal as an amendment to a sweeping defense policy now being debated in the Senate.” (Politico: Schumer moves to force Senate vote on Epstein files – 9/10/25)“Thune and his leadership team were in the process of negotiating amendments when Schumer jumped in front of the line by offering his Epstein-related proposal.” (The Hill: Schumer ambushes Republicans with amendment to force vote on Epstein files – 9/10/25)“Republicans also say that Schumer’s move last week to force a vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files — which he triggered as part of the ongoing NDAA floor process — was an affront to the bipartisanship normally seen during this annual defense policy debate.” (Punchbowl News: AM: Johnson's to-do list for Tuesday – 9/16/25)“Asked about Schumer’s move hours before the vote to table it, Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said: ‘It’s a political stunt and we’ll dispose of it.’” (Roll Call: Senate tables Schumer’s motion for a vote on Epstein files – 9/10/25)PrintEmailTweetNextPreviousTHE NEWSROOMSENATE RESOURCESABOUT LEADER THUNEFacebookXInstagram
