Majority Leader | Press Release | Press Releases | THE NE...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 NEWSROOMPress Releases10.28.25Thune: Democrats Admit They’re Allowing Families to Suffer for Political Leverage“[L]et’s hope that this week is the week in which enough sane Democrats come to the conclusion that it’s not in their interest, and certainly not in the interest of the American people, to keep the government shut down.” Click here to watch the video.WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke at a press conference with Senate Republican leadership:Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):“Good afternoon, everyone.“It’s not very often that I get a chance to say this, but I agree with the AFGE – American Federation of Government Employees, largest government employees union – who said earlier this week that the Democrats need to reopen the government and start getting federal employees paid again.“And on that point, they are absolutely right.“This is going to get worse as the week goes on, as time goes on.“You’ve already seen the impacts.“Federal workers missed their first paycheck last Friday.“ATC employees are going to miss their paycheck today.“If by the end of the week this isn’t over, there’re going to be 40 million Americans who are not going to have food assistance.“And you add on top of that Head Start and telehealth, there are people who are getting their medical appointments canceled because of the shutdown.“And it just, it needs to end. It just needs to end.“And we have made it abundantly clear – every elected official here has made it abundantly clear that we are more than happy to sit down with the Democrats and talk about other issues, whether it’s the unaffordability and unsustainability of Obamacare, we’re happy to have that conversation, but we can’t do it with, as Chuck Schumer has said in the past, a gun to our heads.“That’s just, it’s just that simple.“So they’re going to have several opportunities, again, to vote to reopen the government.“And I sincerely hope, in the best interest of every American who is impacted by this shutdown, and particularly those who are going to be really adversely impacted come this weekend, that enough Democrats will come to their senses and deliver the five votes that are necessary to get this bill on the president’s desk.“I’ll remind everybody, everybody knows it: This bill passed the House a month ago.“It is sitting at the desk in the Senate.“We can pick it up today, pass it, put it on the president’s desk, it will be signed into law, the government reopens today.“That’s all it takes. And that’s really what this is all about.“They’re trying to make it about other issues, and like I said, we’re perfectly happy to have that conversation.“I spoke with the president last night.“He’s happy to sit down with the Democrats next week to talk about Obamacare, but you can’t do that when the government is shut down.“That would be subject, again, to them voting to reopen the government.“So let’s hope that this week is the week in which enough sane Democrats come to the conclusion that it’s not in their interest, and certainly not in the interest of the American people, to keep the government shut down.”PrintEmailTweetNextPreviousTHE NEWSROOMSENATE RESOURCESABOUT LEADER THUNEFacebookXInstagram
