{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.ricketts.senate.gov/news/press-releases/ricketts-republicans-are-continuing-the-business-of-governing-even-if-the-democrats-arent/", "Ricketts: Republicans Are \u201cContinuing the Business of Governing \u2014 Even If The Democrats Aren\u2019t\u201d", "2025-10-30", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "Senate", "NE", "Pete Ricketts", "R000618", "www.ricketts.senate.gov", "ricketts", "https://www.ricketts.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/?jsf=jet-engine:press-list&pagenum=", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Yesterday, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) expressed his commitment to continue delivering for Nebraskans, despite the Schumer Shutdown. Ricketts made the comments during his regular conference call with Nebraska media.\n\nWatch the video here.\n\n\u201cWhile on-duty people work without pay, Republicans keep voting on the only bipartisan solution to the shutdown,\u201dsaid Ricketts. \u201cThis is the same bipartisan bill Chuck Schumer supported four times over the last nineteen months. But Chuck Schumer wants to keep playing his partisan game. My staff and I come to work every day. We\u2019re continuing the business of governing \u2014 even if the Democrats aren\u2019t.\u201d\n\n\u201cChuck Schumer says that \u201cevery day gets better\u201d for Democrats during the shutdown. It\u2019s not getting better for Nebraskans or Americans,\u201d said Ricketts. \u201cDespite this, Senate Republicans and I are continuing the work of government. We\u2019re passing important bills like the NDAA and the Road to Housing Act. We\u2019re confirming President Trump\u2019s nominees. I\u2019m continuing my work to deter Communist China. I will keep delivering for Nebraskans.\u201d\n\nTRANSCRIPT:\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re beginning week five of the Schumer Shutdown.\n\n\u201cToday is the 29th day.\n\n\u201cAs of last week, this is now the longest full government shutdown.\n\n\u201cWhile on-duty people work without pay, Republicans keep voting on the only bipartisan solution to the shutdown.\n\n\u201cWe have voted on a resolution to reopen the government over a dozen times now.\n\n\u201cThis is the same bipartisan bill Chuck Schumer supported four times over the last nineteen months.\n\n\u201cBut Chuck Schumer wants to keep playing his partisan game.\n\n\u201cMy staff and I come to work every day.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re continuing the business of governing \u2014 even if the Democrats aren\u2019t.\n\n\u201cCapitol Police also come in every day.\n\n\u201cSo do our federal law enforcement officers, U.S. Attorneys, TSA agents, and air traffic controllers.\n\n\u201cBut Chuck Schumer doesn\u2019t want to pay on-duty federal workers.\n\n\u201cDemocrats made police and support staff work overtime\u2014all night, without a paycheck\u2014so they could try to break a filibuster record.\n\n\u201cThe American Federation of Government Employees is calling for Democrats to join Republicans in voting to end the Schumer Shutdown.\n\n\u201cLast week, Republicans introduced a bill that would pay these on-duty workers during the shutdown.\n\n\u201cOnly three Democrats voted for it.\n\n\u201cThe Democrats offered their own bill, but they added a partisan poison pill preventing President Trump from increasing government efficiency.\n\n\u201cThey did this to make sure Republicans wouldn\u2019t vote for it.\n\n\u201cThe Republican bill was clean.\n\n\u201cThe Democrats\u2019 bill was not.\n\n\u201cOur offer was serious. Theirs was not.\n\n\u201cDespite the Schumer Shutdown, my Republican colleagues and I continue to deliver for the American people.\n\n\u201cEarlier this month, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act.\n\n\u201cThis NDAA will support our airmen at Offutt Air Force Base and strengthen Nebraska\u2019s Sentinel missile program.\n\n\u201cWe passed the historic ROAD to Housing Act.\n\n\u201cThis will make it easier for Nebraskans to buy homes.\n\n\u201cThe ROAD to Housing Act will help rural Nebraskans.\n\n\u201cIt includes my Streamlining Rural Housing Act, which cuts red tape for building homes in rural Nebraska.\n\n\u201cLast week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee also advanced three of my bills to deter Communist China and keep Americans safe.\n\n\u201cThat includes the THINK TWICE Act, the PORCUPINE Act, and the AUKUS Improvement Act.\n\n\u201cAll of these bills are bipartisan.\n\n\u201cThese bills strengthen our alliances with Australia and the U.K.\n\n\u201cThey strengthen Taiwan to deter Communist China\u2019s aggression.\n\n\u201cTogether, they make it easier for our partners and allies to purchase American-made military equipment such as submarines.\n\n\u201cThe Senate also continues to confirm President Trump\u2019s judicial and executive branch nominees.\n\n\u201cWe have confirmed 112 since the Schumer Shutdown began.\n\n\u201cJust because Chuck Schumer doesn\u2019t want to reopen the government, doesn\u2019t mean the government shouldn\u2019t be serving the American people.\n\n\u201cSenate Republicans and President Trump are doing everything we can to reopen the government.\n\n\u201cThe President found ways to pay military servicemembers.\n\n\u201cThe USDA is reopening the Farm Service Agency.\n\n\u201cThis means critical services for farm loan processing can resume for the end of harvest.\n\n\u201cChuck Schumer says that \u201cevery day gets better\u201d for Democrats during the shutdown.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not getting better for Nebraskans or Americans.\n\n\u201cDespite this, Senate Republicans and I are continuing the work of government.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re passing important bills like the NDAA and the Road to Housing Act.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re confirming President Trump\u2019s nominees.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m continuing my work to deter Communist China.\n\n\u201cI will keep delivering for Nebraskans.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"]], "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.ricketts.senate.gov/news/press-releases/ricketts-republicans-are-continuing-the-business-of-governing-even-if-the-democrats-arent/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.8114509768784046, "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"}