{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/day-35-of-the-schumer-shutdown-when-will-democrats-end-americans-suffering/", "Day 35 of the Schumer Shutdown: When Will Democrats End Americans\u2019 Suffering?", "2025-11-04", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "Senate", "WY", "John Barrasso", "B001261", "www.barrasso.senate.gov", "barrasso", "https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/newsroom/news-releases/", "scraper", "\u201cFederal workers want to reopen the government. The Democrats tell them, no, we know better than you do. As a result, the pain continues. Each day, the Democrats grow more radical, more reckless, more extreme, and more out of touch with the people they claim to represent.\u201d\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, today spoke on the Senate Floor about prolonged pain Americans are feeling because of the Schumer Shutdown. Senator Barrasso also shared statements from union leaders as well as major U.S. airlines that called on Democrats to end the shutdown by passing a clean continuing resolution.\n\nClick HERE to watch Senator Barrasso\u2019s remarks.\n\nSen. Barrasso\u2019s remarks as prepared:\n\n\u201cThis weekend, 42 million struggling Americans lost access to food assistance. Many are suffering and sacrificing. This weekend, 1.8 million federal workers missed a paycheck. Their bills are mounting. This weekend, thousands of flights across the country were delayed. Today, air travel is less safe and less dependable. Those are the latest consequences of the Schumer Shutdown.\n\n\u201cThese are real people. They are feeling real pain. It didn\u2019t have to be this way. Republicans \u2013 and a few reasonable Democrats \u2013 have voted 13 times to reopen the government. We voted to prevent the suffering. Senator Schumer and Senate Democrats voted 13 times against a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution to reopen the government. Democrats voted 13 times against paying our troops. Democrats voted against paying air traffic controllers. They voted against paying TSA agents. They voted against paying Border Patrol agents. They voted 13 times against funding food assistance for struggling families. They voted against funding Head Start for young children.\n\n\u201cToday is Day 35 of the Schumer Shutdown. Democrats have now tied the record for the longest government shutdown in history. And for what? What have they gained? Have Democrats become more popular? No. They are at their weakest and lowest position in 20 years. Why? Because Americans are paying attention.\n\n\u201cAmericans resent being used by Democrats as pawns. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reports that the Schumer Shutdown could cost our economy as much as $14 billion. Even Democrats\u2019 supporters in the unions are pleading with Democrats to reopen the government.\n\n\u201cThe President of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association supports a clean, continuing resolution. He said just this Friday, \u2018It is incredibly unfair to expect hard-working, patriotic American air traffic controllers and their families to bear the full burden\u2019 of the shutdown.\n\n\u201cThe President of the Teamsters Union has repeatedly urged Democrats to reopen the government. He said on Thursday, \u2018Put the politics aside, get to the table, negotiate a deal, pass a clean CR right now.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe head of the American Federation of Government Employees said, \u2018Both political parties have made their point. It\u2019s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe President of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association likewise said, \u2018The biggest way to ensure the safety, security and reliability of our national air traffic control system is to pass a clean continuing resolution.\u2019\n\n\u201cMajor airlines agree. United, Southwest, Delta, American \u2013 all of them support immediate passage of the clean, bipartisan continuing resolution. American Airlines was blunt: \u2018A prolonged shutdown will lead to more delays and cancellations \u2013 and the American people, especially during the busy holiday season, deserve better.\u2019\n\n\u201cThese are Democrats\u2019 allies, supporters, and contributors. They\u2019re saying enough is enough. Yet Democrats continue to ignore them all. Federal workers want to reopen the government. The Democrats tell them, no, we know better than you do. As a result, the pain continues.\n\n\u201cEach day, the Democrats grow more radical, more reckless, more extreme, and more out of touch with the people they claim to represent. They\u2019ve said so themselves.\n\n\u201cNot too long ago, Senator Schumer gloated to the press, \u2018Every day gets better for us.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe House Democrat Whip freely admitted, \u2018Of course there will be families that are going to suffer\u2026 but it is one of the few leverage times we have.\u2019\n\n\u201cSenator Chris Coons of Delaware told a national television audience a week ago, \u2018Frankly, this is our only moment of leverage.\u2019 He referred to the shutdown as an \u2018unpleasant tool.\u2019 That tool is the shutdown itself \u2013 the pain, the uncertainty, the missed paychecks, the mounting bills, the grounded flights, the chaos in Americans\u2019 lives.\n\n\u201cYet knowing all that, Senator Rubin Gallego of Arizona \u2013 who is testing the waters for a presidential run \u2013 declared proudly, \u2018I\u2019d just go back and shut it down again.\u2019\n\n\u201cJust think about that. Democrats see the hardship. They hear the pain in people\u2019s voices. And still, they say they\u2019d do it again. This is a choice by Democrats. They call your pain their leverage. Enough is enough. The American people deserve better.\n\n\u201cRepublicans stand ready to reopen the government today. We support a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution to reopen the government, to pay our troops, to pay our federal workers, and to restore vital services. On this, Republicans will not budge. The American people have suffered long enough. It is time for Democrats to reopen the government.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/day-35-of-the-schumer-shutdown-when-will-democrats-end-americans-suffering/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2562158517539501, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}