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 NEWSROOMRemarks11.03.25Thune: Schumer Shutdown Day 34“[F]or the sake of the American people, let’s hope that at least some Democrats can see their way to ending this, and ending it soon.” 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, it’s November.“November.“It’s been five weeks since Democrats shut down the government.“And once again, we start this week by asking: Is this the week that Democrats end their shutdown?“Mr. President, I’ve said it before, that there are no winners in a government shutdown.“There are no winners, but there are plenty of losers.“Chief among them is the American people.“As the senior Democrat from Virginia said just last year, and I quote, ‘Shutdowns aren’t victimless crimes.’“And after five weeks, Mr. President, the victims of the Democrats’ shutdown are starting to pile up.“Military families have turned to food banks in significant numbers.“And they’re not the only ones.“Food banks in this area and around the country have seen an influx of federal workers who are missing paychecks due to the shutdown.“And things are set to get much worse, with SNAP running on limited emergency funds and its future uncertain.“Thanks to Democrats, millions more Americans – millions, Mr. President – are now at risk of going hungry.“And yet Democrats’ shutdown marches on.“And of course, letting Americans go hungry is just the beginning.“Thanks to Democrats, Head Start programs are beginning to close.“Housing assistance programs are at risk. “Seniors and people in rural areas can’t access telehealth services.“National Guard training is on hold.“Veterans programs are on pause.“I’m sorry to say I could go on.“Actually, I could go on for a while.“Shutdowns have consequences, and the pain is being felt around the country.“Mr. President, last week, it seemed that Democrats were beginning to acknowledge that their shutdown is having consequences.“We even heard Democrats express concern that Americans were suffering.“But when they were given the chance to end all of that suffering, the vast majority of Democrats in this body were perfectly willing to prolong the shutdown and the American people’s pain.“The vast majority of Democrats voted, once again, against a clean continuing resolution – the only bill on offer that could end all this suffering, literally, in a matter of hours. “It is the only bill in the Senate that would fix every single issue I just mentioned.“It would pay our troops.“Fund SNAP.“Head Start.“Veterans programs.“Pay our staffers.“Three Democrat senators already support that clean continuing resolution, Mr. President.“And the Democrat from Maine who supported the clean CR in the House said, and I quote, ‘There’s a lot of important work to be done in Congress, none of which will be any easier if Mainers are suffering the harms of a government shutdown.’“The Teamsters Union and the American Federation of Government Employees – more traditionally allies of Democrats, to be frank – have called for Congress to spare the American people further pain and to pass the clean continuing resolution. “And they’re far from the only ones.“Mr. President, it should not be this hard for a handful of Democrats to support a clean bill that simply reopens the government.“It’s a very straightforward proposition.“It’s a 24-page bill, sitting right here at the Senate desk.“Not a single new Republican policy.“No partisan policy riders.“Nothing that Democrats haven’t supported before on numerous occasions.“It just reopens the government.“And it’s just five Democrat votes away from being sent to the president, who would sign it, literally, in a matter of hours.“This bill is also the quickest way to get to discussions about health care – that is, if Democrats are serious about solving the Obamacare problem and not just interested in using it as a political issue. “As I’ve said more times than I can count, Republicans are more than willing to have a health care discussion with Democrats.“In fact, had Democrats voted to reopen the government last week, President Trump would be meeting with them this week. “Unlike Democrats, who want to continue papering over the unaffordability of Obamacare forevermore, Republicans have ideas for actually lowering health care costs.“And lowering costs not just for Americans on Obamacare, but also for seniors, vulnerable Americans, and the majority of Americans who get their health care through their employers. “And so we’re ready and willing to have that discussion.“But first Democrats need to stop playing politics with people’s lives and reopen the government.“Mr. President, airline travel is snarled. Small businesses are suffering. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are working without pay. And now 40 million Americans in need are at risk of losing their food stamps.“So, the question, Mr. President, is: How long – how long – are Democrats going to continue this?“Another month? Two? Three?“How much suffering is enough for Democrats?“Mr. President, the bill’s sitting right there.“We voted on it [13] times already.“We’ll get that opportunity to vote on it a [14th] time tomorrow.“And for the sake of the American people, let’s hope that at least some Democrats can see their way to ending this, and ending it soon.”PrintEmailTweetPreviousTHE NEWSROOMSENATE RESOURCESABOUT LEADER THUNEFacebookXInstagram
