Majority Leader | Remark | Remarks | THE NEWSROOM | Repub...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 NEWSROOMRemarks09.19.25Thune: Democrats Resort to Reckless Partisan Posturing“If [Democrats] think they’re going to gain political points from shutting down the government over a clean, nonpartisan CR - something they voted for 13 times under the Biden administration - I would strongly urge them to think again.” Click here to watch the video.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, the House has just passed a short-term, clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution to fund the government for a few additional weeks while we continue bipartisan work on appropriations bills.“And today we’ll be voting on that clean, nonpartisan CR, as well as on the CR Democrats introduced Wednesday night.“Mr. President, on the floor yesterday, the Democrat leader said, and I quote, ‘The contrast between the Republican bill and the Democratic bill is glaring.’“Well, he’s got that right.“The contrast between the Republican bill and the Democrat bill is glaring.“The Republican bill is a clean, nonpartisan short-term continuing resolution to fund the government to give us time to do the full appropriations process.“And the Democrat bill is the exact opposite.“It’s what you might call, not a clean CR, a dirty CR – laden down with partisan policies and appeals to Democrats’ leftist base.“Mr. President, when I became majority leader, I made it very clear that I wanted the Senate to return to regular order consideration of appropriations bills.“I was not – and am not – interested in funding government through last-minute, backroom deals.“The right way to fund the government, whenever humanly possible, is through regular order here in the Senate.“That means taking appropriations bills through committee, where Republicans and Democrats alike have a chance to make their voices heard.“And then bringing those bills to the Senate floor for more debate and amendment.“That process is good for senators of both parties – to say nothing of being best for the American people.“But Mr. President, Democrats can’t take yes for an answer.“And so instead of working with Republicans to fund the government through a clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution so that we can get back to bipartisan negotiations on appropriations, Democrats are yielding to the desires of their rabidly leftist base and are attempting to hold government funding hostage to a long list of partisan demands.“Mr. President, the kind of clean CR Republicans have put forward used to be something Democrats embraced. “In fact, Democrats voted in favor of clean CRs no fewer than 13 times during the Biden administration.“Yet now that Republicans are offering a clean CR, it’s somehow a no-go.“It’s funny how that happens, Mr. President.“The Democrat leader has tried to defend his party’s double standards by suggesting that this is a special case.“Really? Really, Mr. President?“Why is it always a special case with Democrats? “The truth is, the only thing special about this case is that Democrats can’t stand the fact that the American people elected Donald Trump.“So we all have to live with their endless temper tantrum – which apparently may now include shutting down the government.“Mr. President, I could spend some time talking about the measure Democrats put forward yesterday.“I could talk about how it would allow noncitizens and able-bodied adults who won’t work to stay on the Medicaid rolls, while at the same time ripping away a historic investment in home- and community-based services for Americans with disabilities.“I could talk about how it would eliminate a transformational investment in rural health care.“Dilute Medicaid resources for those most in need.“And a whole lot more.“But suffice it to say that it is a fundamentally unserious proposal designed to appease Democrats’ liberal base.“And it has zero chance, Mr. President, of making it through Congress. And they know that.“Mr. President, I can’t stop Democrats from opposing our nonpartisan continuing resolution.“If they want to shut down the government, they have the power to do so.“But if they think they’re going to gain political points from shutting down the government over a clean, nonpartisan CR – something they voted for 13 times under the Biden administration – I would strongly urge them to think again.“Mr. President, the ball is in Democrats’ court.“They can vote with Republicans on our clean, nonpartisan CR to fund the government and allow the Senate to complete additional appropriations work.“Or they can vote for their own partisan CR and move the country one step closer to a shutdown.“For the sake of the American people, I hope they’ll choose to vote with us.“Mr. President, I yield the floor.”PrintEmailTweetPreviousTHE NEWSROOMSENATE RESOURCESABOUT LEADER THUNEFacebookXInstagram
