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 NEWSROOMRemarks09.17.25Thune: The Ball Is in Schumer’s Court“[Democrats] can work with Republicans to pass this clean, short-term, nonpartisan measure to fund the government while we continue work on the 2026 appropriations bills. Or they can shut down the government …” 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, Republicans continue to move forward on funding the government through a short-term CR.“Something that is routinely done around here in order to allow for more time for the Appropriations Committee to report bills out and for us to consider them on the floor and to fund the government in the way it should be funded.“And Democrats?“Well, Democrats seem intent on shutting it down.“For what reason I cannot imagine.“Do they actually think that hardworking Americans are going to thank them for shutting down the government?“I understand that Democrats’ far-left base is desperate to pick a fight with President Trump, but really, I don’t think Democrats are going to win the next election by shutting down the government over a short-term, clean, nonpartisan funding measure.“Mr. President, it’s particularly hard to understand Democrats’ determination to shut down the government when we’re simply asking for a few more weeks to complete bipartisan – bipartisan – appropriations work. “I made it very clear from the moment that I became the leader that I wanted to fund the government through regular order – a process that gives voice to members of both parties.“And that means taking appropriations bills through the committee process, where they have a chance to be discussed, debated, and amended.“And then bringing them to the Senate floor, for more debate and amendments.“And we made a very good start on this before the August state work period, passing three appropriations bills by robust bipartisan margins – something that hadn’t been done here since 2018.“And the reason we’re considering a short-term, clean continuing resolution is to allow this process to continue, so that we can fund the government the way it should be funded – under regular order.“Regular order is good for members of both parties, and it’s good for the American people.“And, Mr. President, I think a lot of Democrats, as well as Republicans, know that.“Mr. President, I could stand here on the floor for a long time and read quotes from the Democrat leader and other Democrat senators on the many problems with shutdowns, and what they cost Americans.“I won’t do that today, as I think the costs to the American people are pretty well-established.“But it is incredible to me that Democrats are ignoring these very real costs and continuing to push ahead with shutdown threats over this clean continuing resolution. “As I said on Monday, I do not think it’s likely that mainstream voters – the same voters that Democrats lost in the last election – are going to be thanking Democrats for shutting down the government over a short-term, clean, nonpartisan CR.“A short-term, clean, nonpartisan CR, with, I would remind my Democrat colleagues, much-needed funding for member security.“Democrats, of course, have decided to try and deflect blame by complaining that we are looking at a partisan CR.“A partisan CR, Mr. President.“Well, Mr. President, give me a break.“Republicans have deliberately chosen to keep this CR clean to ensure that there can be no possible reason for Democrats to object to funding the government. “We’re not looking at a vehicle for new Republican policies; we are looking at nothing more than a continuation of the status quo when it comes to funding the government.“Do Democrats think that by calling this a partisan CR, that they can somehow make it so?“We all know Democrats have a sometimes-Orwellian relationship with language.“But really, Mr. President, I don’t think Democrats are going to get very far with this one.“Because there really is no possible way to call this a partisan CR with a straight face.“Everyone here on Capitol Hill, and well beyond, is abundantly aware that we are not looking at a partisan funding measure.“So, Mr. President, Democrats have a choice to make.“They can work with Republicans to pass this clean, short-term, nonpartisan measure to fund the government while we continue work on the 2026 appropriations bills. “Or they can shut down the government, with all that will mean for the American people.“And Mr. President, just to be clear, I heard the Democrat leader get up again today and talk about how … there’s no bipartisan discussions.“There have been bipartisan discussions for months!“The appropriations committees have been meeting, passing and reporting bills out to the floor.“We picked up three of those bills in the month of July and passed them on the floor, something that hadn’t been done since 2018.“And the Republicans and the Democrats on the Appropriations Committee continue to work together on bipartisan appropriations bills that they can report to the floor so that we can consider more of them and fund the government in regular order, which is the way it’s supposed to be funded.“And that’s what this debate is really about.“Now, the Democrat leader is accustomed to a different business model, and that’s where they go in his office, behind closed doors, and make all these decisions there, instead of putting bills on the floor.“We’ve passed appropriations bills at this point in the year for the first time since 2018.“We are consulting in a bipartisan way with Democrats through this entire process.“And so, Mr. President, that’s just flat wrong.“It’s just not telling the truth.“Those discussions have been going on for months.“And this is, for the first time in a long time, a normal appropriations process where Democrats and Republicans sit down at the committees, where it should happen, work together on bills that they report to the floor, most of them by big, bipartisan margins, and then we pick them up.“We’ve done that with three already, and there are a bunch more we ought to do.“This is the way it’s supposed to work.“But it takes consent, takes cooperation, and obviously it takes 60 votes to pass anything here in the Senate, which means that Democrats are going to have to help fund the government on a clean, bipartisan funding resolution to give the Appropriations Committee and all of us as senators on both sides of the aisle an opportunity to consider more appropriations bills on the floor and fund the government the way it should be funded, and that’s the old-fashioned way through the appropriations process.“And I would remind my colleagues that, under the Biden administration and Democrat majorities here in the Senate, there were no fewer than 13 – 13 – continuing resolutions, short-term funding measures to fund the government.“96 percent of the Democrats in the Senate voted for all 13.“Thirteen continuing resolutions when they had the majority and a Democrat in the White House.“Thirteen continuing resolutions to fund the government for a short term.“96 percent of the Democrats voted for all 13 of those funding resolutions.“And so I don’t know what’s changed.“At that time, they made all the quotes. I said I could quote them, and I can quote them.“There’re lists that go on infinitely, all the things that they’ve said about funding the government and what a terrible thing it would be to have a government shutdown.“And here we are offering them a short-term funding resolution that is bipartisan, that funds the government through November the 21st in order to allow us to continue the work of funding the government through the appropriations process, which is the way this place ought to work in the first place.“That’s all this is about. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.“It’s whether or not they want to work with us to fund the government in a bipartisan way and help keep the government open – or block that funding resolution, not help … get us the 60 votes that are necessary to pass it out of here, and therefore shut the government down.“That’s the choice.[…]“This isn’t about President Trump.“There’s nothing in here about President Trump.“This is a clean funding resolution, bipartisan funding resolution, short-term, to allow the Appropriations Committee to do its work.“There is nothing partisan about it.[…]“This is a short-term funding resolution, and it should be a very straightforward vote.“Both sides should do what they did 13 times when they had the majority, and that is vote to keep the government open.“And to allow us, for the first time in years, to actually have a normal appropriations process.“And I’ll tell you, Mr. President, because you’ve probably heard this, too, from members on their side of the aisle.“They’d like to have that, too.“They’d actually like to have an appropriations process that works, where they get an opportunity, not only at the Appropriations Committee, but here on the floor of the Senate, to have some input into and have an opportunity to vote on amendments that reflect the wishes of the people they represent in their states.“We should do that.“We can do that, and it’s going to be entirely up to the Senate Democrats as to whether or not we do.”PrintEmailTweetNextPreviousTHE NEWSROOMSENATE RESOURCESABOUT LEADER THUNEFacebookXInstagram
