{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=DE91FEE3-3AB4-4FC9-B4A2-BD30F9BB1096", "Thune: Schumer Shutdown Day 15", "2025-10-15", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "Clickhereto watch the video.\n\nWASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:\n\nThune\u2019s remarks below (as delivered):\n\n\u201cMr. President, Democrats are dug in.\n\n\u201cFifteen days into a government shutdown, and Democrats show no sign that they\u2019re ready for it to end.\n\n\u201cNot even the prospect of military families going without a paycheck was enough for Democrats to reopen the government.\n\n\u201cNor are Democrats concerned about needy families uncertain about the future of nutrition assistance.\n\n\u201cOr Americans in flood zones, who are unable to update their insurance or close on a home in the midst of hurricane season.\n\n\u201cNo, Democrats are dug in.\n\n\u201cAnd all those Americans living in uncertainty?\n\n\u201cWell, they\u2019re just going to have to wait until Democrats\u2019 far-left base is satisfied.\n\n\u201cMr. President, Democrats attempt to defend their funding blockade by complaining that Republicans won\u2019t negotiate.\n\n\u201cBut what exactly is there to negotiate?\n\n\u201cNegotiation happens when you have two sides each with its own demands.\n\n\u201cRepublicans have no demands.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve offered Democrats a clean, nonpartisan funding extension.\n\n\u201cDemocrats, on the other hand, are insisting on $1.5 trillion in new partisan spending in exchange for their votes.\n\n\u201cNow, think about that, Mr. President. Let\u2019s put that in perspective.\n\n\u201c$1.5 trillion in new spending \u2013 in their proposal, to keep the government open for four weeks, until the end of October.\n\n\u201cWell, we\u2019re already at the middle of October.\n\n\u201cSo basically, they\u2019re saying they want $1.5 trillion in taxpayer dollars to keep the government open for the next two weeks!\n\n\u201cThink about that one.\n\n\u201cAs our colleague from Louisiana put it, you need a spreadsheet to keep track of everything they\u2019re asking for.\n\n\u201cThe truth is that what Democrats really want is something Republicans can\u2019t give them \u2013 and that\u2019s the approval of their far-left base.\n\n\u201cThey\u2019re looking for praise from the likes of MoveOn.org and Indivisible.\n\n\u201cThis weekend, Indivisible is holding rallies around the country.\n\n\u201cAnd Democrats\u2019 motivations are laid bare by what one of the leaders of that far-left group told CNN last week.\n\n\u201cHe said, and I quote, \u2018I\u2019m telling every elected I talk to: millions will be out cheering you on, or they\u2019ll be calling for new leadership.\u2019\n\n\u201cCheering you on, or calling for new leadership.\n\n\u201cMr. President, that\u2019s Democrats\u2019 motivation.\n\n\u201cPleasing their far-left base and preserving their political careers.\n\n\u201cMeanwhile, we\u2019re reading stories about military families lining up at food banks.\n\n\u201cFlight delays because of understaffed airport towers.\n\n\u201cNeedy families uncertain about the food assistance they depend upon.\n\n\u201cBut our Democrat colleague from Rhode Island says, and I quote, \u2018[for] Democrats, it\u2019s so far, so good.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018[S]o far, so good.\u2019\n\n\u201cI doubt military families and federal workers would agree.\n\n\u201cIf there was ever anything to make it clear that Democrats are in this for their own political advantage, it is callous comments like this one \u2013 or the Democrat leader\u2019s statement that, and I quote, \u2018Every day gets better\u2019 for Senate Democrats.\n\n\u201cMr. President, while Democrats may be basking in praise from their far-left base, polls show that most Americans want this shutdown to end.\n\n\u201cTwo-thirds of voters think Democrats should reopen the government rather than hold out for their partisan demands.\n\n\u201cAnd if just five more Democrats would show some courage, we could do just that.\n\n\u201cWe need five more Democrats to say enough is enough.\n\n\u201cTo put the American people ahead of the far left.\n\n\u201cAnd to support this clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution sitting right there at the Senate desk.\n\n\u201cReady to be picked up and passed today, put on the president\u2019s desk, signed into law, and the government reopens.\n\n\u201cIf just five more Democrats would show some courage, we could do just that.\n\n\u201cSo, Mr. President, five more votes, this bill could be on its way to the White House.\n\n\u201cAs I said, President Trump stands ready to sign it.\n\n\u201cIt is clean.\n\n\u201cIt is nonpartisan.\n\n\u201cIt has no policy riders.\n\n\u201cNo partisan gimmicks.\n\n\u201cIt simply funds the government for a foreseeable time, to November the 21st, to give us an opportunity to finish the appropriations process under regular order.\n\n\u201cAnd to deal with the funding of the government in the way that it should be funded \u2013 in an open, transparent process that uses the committees under regular order, the Appropriations Committee, subcommittees, the floor, open to amendments.\n\n\u201cAgain, I know that\u2019s a novel concept.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s a novel concept compared to the way the Democrats did it when they had the majority.\n\n\u201cEven though the Appropriations Committee did its work last year \u2013 11 of the 12 appropriations bills were reported out \u2013 not a single one was brought to the floor of the Senate.\n\n\u201cBecause they like to negotiate behind closed doors, with a handful of people deciding on behalf of everybody else.\n\n\u201cThat is not the way this place ought to work, Mr. President.\n\n\u201cTroops need to get paid.\n\n\u201cFamilies need to get the help they need.\n\n\u201cAll this uncertainty for the American people needs to go away.\n\n\u201cAnd we can get back to work on the things that really matter.\n\n\u201cBut the question is, are Democrats interested in that?\n\n\u201cOr are they more interested in being cheered by far-left groups at Saturday\u2019s rally?\n\n\u201cWell, I guess we\u2019ll see soon enough.\n\n\u201cWill today be day 15 of Democrats\u2019 shutdown?\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ll have another opportunity later today to vote on that bill sitting right at the desk.\n\n\u201cFive more Democrats, it passes.\n\n\u201cIt goes to the White House, gets signed into law by the president, and the government opens up.\n\n\u201cWill today be day 15 of Democrats\u2019 shutdown?\n\n\u201cOr will it be the day we reopen the government and get back to the business of serving the American people?\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.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=DE91FEE3-3AB4-4FC9-B4A2-BD30F9BB1096"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.778889050707221, "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"}