{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=ECCFC609-ABF6-4AC3-9521-6F9803F587A6", "Thune: Schumer Shutdown Day 29", "2025-10-29", "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", "Clickhere to 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, we\u2019re now in day 29 of the Democrat government shutdown.\n\n\u201cAnd I say that because it is a Democrat shutdown.\n\n\u201cNow, the Democrats are out there publicly saying, \u2018Well, this is the Republicans who are responsible for shutting down the government,\u2019 notwithstanding the fact that the House of Representatives has passed a bill, sitting right here, that with five more Democrats, we could pick up and pass, put on the president\u2019s desk, he would sign it into law, and the government would reopen.\n\n\u201cThose are the simple facts.\n\n\u201cThose are indisputable facts.\n\n\u201cNow, what it suggests to me, however, when they say that it\u2019s the Republicans\u2019 fault, or you know, somehow the Republicans are responsible for shutting the government down, it really defies facts.\n\n\u201cIt defies history.\n\n\u201cIt defies reality.\n\n\u201cBecause, as everybody who\u2019s been around here knows, we have now voted 13 times \u2013 13 times on that bill sitting at the desk that would open up the government, put everybody back to work, and all the pain that is being caused [for] the American people would go away.\n\n\u201cThirteen times, we\u2019ve had that vote.\n\n\u201cNow, interestingly enough, that matches the number of times the Democrats passed a clean CR when they had the majority.\n\n\u201cThe last four years under President Biden, 13 different occasions \u2013 13 different occasions \u2013 they voted for a clean continuing resolution to fund the government.\n\n\u201cAnd at the time, they talked about how terrible it is that, you know, the government should be taken hostage when you have a dispute over other issues.\n\n\u201cYou have tons of statements.\n\n\u201cI mean, I could spend all day just repeating the statements that Democrats made over and over and over again about the importance of funding the government and not taking it hostage to discuss other issues.\n\n\u201cThe record is replete with statements like that coming out of the Democrats.\n\n\u201cSo, 13 times they have voted against funding the government right here.\n\n\u201cThirteen times while they were in the majority, they voted for a clean continuing resolution.\n\n\u201cNow explain that logic to the American people, who are the ones that are experiencing the pain and the consequence of their shutdown.\n\n\u201cI think the American people understand what\u2019s going on here.\n\n\u201cWe consistently see that, and so much so that you even have the organizations, the unions around the country, have come out now.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019ve got the American Federation of Government Employees, you\u2019ve got the Teamsters, you\u2019ve got at least part of the air traffic controllers union \u2013 all have endorsed a clean funding resolution.\n\n\u201cThat, to me, suggests that the American people, it is resonating with them about who\u2019s responsible for this government shutdown.\n\n\u201cBut don\u2019t take my word for who it is.\n\n\u201cTake the Democrats\u2019 own words.\n\n\u201cIf you look at what\u2019s been said by some of the Democrat leadership here, just in the last few days since the government actually shut down.\n\n\u201cThat, of course, is the Democrat leader, Senator Schumer, who said \u2018every day gets better for us,\u2019 commenting about the government shutdown.\n\n\u201cAnd my simple observation is: better for who?\n\n\u201cFor you, because you think you\u2019re winning politically?\n\n\u201cWhat about the air traffic controllers?\n\n\u201cWhat about the TSA agents?\n\n\u201cWhat about the American troops?\n\n\u201cWhat about our Border Patrol agents?\n\n\u201cWhat about the people who work in this building?\n\n\u201cWhat about the 40 million Americans that are going to not get SNAP benefits starting on Saturday if the government doesn\u2019t open up?\n\n\u201cBut every day gets better, according to Senator Schumer.\n\n\u201cThen, of course, this last week, there was the House Democrat whip, who said, \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\u201c\u2018Of course there are families that are going to suffer.\u2019\n\n\u201cYeah, true, but doesn\u2019t matter, because we\u2019ve got leverage!\n\n\u201cThen, of course, we have a third one here, one of our colleagues here in the Senate, the senator from Delaware, who said this in an interview, \u2018Frankly, this is our only moment of leverage. And although a very unpleasant tool to use\u2026\u2019\n\n\u201cYeah, yeah, it\u2019s unpleasant.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s unpleasant, unless you\u2019re a Democrat who thinks that this gives you a moment of leverage.\n\n\u201cSo lest there be any question about who is responsible for shutting the government down \u2013 make no mistake about it, these guys are the ones who are out there bragging about it \u2018getting better for us every single day.\u2019 Or, \u2018we have more leverage now.\u2019\n\n\u201cMr. President, this has gone on long enough.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve made it abundantly clear that this is not about what the Democrats say it\u2019s about.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s about the president in the White House.\n\n\u201cThis is TDS.\n\n\u201cThis is Trump Derangement Syndrome on steroids, and they are asking the American people to pay the price for that.\n\n\u201cThirteen times when Biden was president, they had no issues with funding the federal government with a clean CR.\n\n\u201cNow we bring a clean, nonpartisan CR, no partisan riders, no policies, Republican policies attached, just funds the government.\n\n\u201cComes over from the House a month ago now, we put it here, just asking a handful of Democrats to join us.\n\n\u201cBecause, as we know, it takes 60 in the Senate, and I think most people understand that.\n\n\u201cI mean, they\u2019re trying to ignore the fact now, that \u2018the Republicans have control of Washington. They have the House, the Senate, and the White House.\u2019\n\n\u201cAnybody who follows this knows that in the United States Senate, the rules, the procedures in the Senate by which we operate and are governed, require a 60-vote threshold.\n\n\u201cSo it takes more than 51 \u2013 meaning, since we have 53 Republicans, it\u2019s going to take a handful of Democrats.\n\n\u201cWell, we\u2019ve been able to generate 55 votes consistently now, 13 different times, for funding the government, opening up the government, but we need five more.\n\n\u201cSo the question is: Are there five people over there with a backbone, five courageous Democrats, five Democrats who don\u2019t buy this?\n\n\u201cWho don\u2019t believe that they ought to be using the American people as leverage \u2013 as leverage \u2013 to try and win a political battle?\n\n\u201cAre there five Democrats over there who believe that we ought to do what\u2019s in the best interest of the American people?\n\n\u201cThe best interests of the air traffic controllers and the TSA agents?\n\n\u201cAnd the men and women in uniform?\n\n\u201cAnd the SNAP recipients that, starting on Saturday, are going to go without food assistance?\n\n\u201cThis is not a game.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re playing with real people\u2019s lives.\n\n\u201cNow, in the Washington world, in the political world, they may think that they are winning this debate because it gives them leverage.\n\n\u201cBut in the real world, where real people live, people are hurting.\n\n\u201cPeople here aren\u2019t getting paid.\n\n\u201cFederal workers aren\u2019t getting paid, as of Friday, last paycheck.\n\n\u201cAir traffic controllers, paychecks started going away yesterday.\n\n\u201cSo, I\u2019m still hopeful.\n\n\u201cI remain hopeful that there are enough sane Democrats who are not so afflicted with Trump Derangement Syndrome \u2013 because that is what this is about, fundamentally.\n\n\u201cNothing more, nothing less, nothing else.\n\n\u201cThis is about Trump Derangement Syndrome.\n\n\u201cAnd \u2026 it has broken out over here in a way unlike anything I\u2019ve seen in my time here.\n\n\u201cDisagree with the president, that\u2019s fine.\n\n\u201cCome down here, make statements, cast votes.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t take the American people hostage and make them pay the price, because you think that \u2018every day this is getting better for us.\u2019\n\n\u201cMr. President, the Democrat leader was on the floor yesterday morning, claiming that, once again, Republicans don\u2019t want to talk about fixing health care.\n\n\u201cAnd let me just say, Mr. President \u2013 for the 1,282nd time \u2013 that Republicans are more than happy to have a discussion about health care.\n\n\u201cWe should have a discussion about health care.\n\n\u201cBecause Democrats\u2019 signature health care law has done exactly nothing to address the problem of rising health care costs.\n\n\u201cWe were promised, of course, that it would.\n\n\u201cWe were, in fact, promised that Democrats\u2019 signature law would fix our entire health care system.\n\n\u201cThis is a quote: \u2018[A]n historic bill that will finally reform our broken health care system and help millions of our families and small businesses get the coverage they need at a price they can afford.\u2019\n\n\u201cThat, from the senior Democrat senator from Washington speaking of Obamacare back in 2009.\n\n\u201cOr, to quote President Obama himself, \u2018This law will cut costs and make coverage more affordable for families and small businesses.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018\u2026 cut costs and make coverage more affordable for families and small businesses.\u2019\n\n\u201cExcept, of course, it didn\u2019t.\n\n\u201cAnd what has been very striking about the last few weeks is that Democrats are at least now admitting that.\n\n\u201cOh yeah, they\u2019re not saying it straight out.\n\n\u201cBut every time they talk about Americans facing a health care crisis, they are admitting that their signature health care law failed.\n\n\u201cThat it did not address the problem of high health care costs.\n\n\u201cThat it did not make health care more affordable for hardworking Americans.\n\n\u201cNow, Mr. President, I could go down the list of Obamacare\u2019s broken promises.\n\n\u201cIf you like your health insurance you can keep it.\n\n\u201cNot true.\n\n\u201cIf you like your doctor you can keep him or her.\n\n\u201cNot true.\n\n\u201cPremium costs will go down.\n\n\u201cNot true \u2013 exactly the opposite.\n\n\u201cYou look at, since 2013 to today, what premium costs have done on the individual marketplace on the exchanges, it is a line like this.\n\n\u201cSuffice it to say \u2013 as Democrats are now implicitly admitting \u2013 that Obamacare massively failed in its aims.\n\n\u201cDemocrats, of course, now want to put a band-aid on a gaping wound by extending the Biden COVID bonuses.\n\n\u201cBut, of course, extending those credits will do nothing to fix the underlying problem \u2013 which is that health care costs will continue to spiral under Obamacare.\n\n\u201cThrowing $350 billion in taxpayer dollars at the problem in the form of enhanced tax credits will do nothing to stop Obamacare premiums from going up by double digits \u2013 because that is what they have been doing.\n\n\u201cAnd it will do nothing to improve health care for the majority of Americans who are not on Obamacare health plans \u2013 like our seniors, our most vulnerable citizens, and those who get their coverage through their employer.\n\n\u201cMr. President, while Democrats are, shall we say, shaky on the facts when it comes to their dramatic health care speeches \u2013 while Obamacare premiums are increasing, the median plan premium is not in fact going to double next year \u2013 it is absolutely true that Democrats have created real health care problems.\n\n\u201cAnd as I\u2019ve said more times than I can count, Republicans are ready and willing to have a discussion about those problems, and about how we lower costs for hardworking Americans.\n\n\u201cWe are, in fact, eager to have that discussion.\n\n\u201cThe president is willing to have Democrats over to discuss it next week \u2013 if they vote to reopen the government.\n\n\u201cBecause in the words of the Democrat leader back in 2013, we are not going to negotiate with a gun to our heads.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s what he said.\n\n\u201cThis is a serious matter.\n\n\u201cAnd I know Democrats think you can solve any problem simply by throwing billions of taxpayer dollars at it \u2013 the record\u2019s pretty clear on that.\n\n\u201cBut you can\u2019t.\n\n\u201cGenuine remedies for the problem of soaring health care costs are not going to be arrived at with a brief late-night session behind closed doors in the Democrat leader\u2019s office.\n\n\u201cWe need extended, serious bipartisan work \u2013 with input from all senators.\n\n\u201cAnd we need Democrats to reopen the government so that work can start.\n\n\u201cRepublicans are brimming over with health care ideas \u2013 from cost-sharing reductions to actually lower health plan costs, to association health plans, to ways to stop Obamacare\u2019s spiral of enriching insurers at the expense of everyday Americans.\n\n\u201cIn fact, we already took steps to make health care more affordable and accessible when we passed the One Big Beautiful Bill this summer, which expanded health savings accounts and telehealth for Americans \u2013 to say nothing of investing heavily in rural health care and ensuring that our health care entitlement programs are focused on those most in need.\n\n\u201cSo, I say, we are looking forward to having a real discussion with Democrats.\n\n\u201cBut to quote another Democrat senator \u2013 the junior Democrat from Connecticut \u2013 \u2018There is a time and a place to debate health care, just like there is a time and place to debate energy policy and immigration and education \u2013 but not when the funding of the federal government, and all the lives that are impacted by it, hang in the balance.\u2019\n\n\u201cMr. President, there are a lot of Americans suffering right now because of Democrats\u2019 month-long shutdown.\n\n\u201cAnd the suffering increases every day.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s time \u2013 it\u2019s past time \u2013 for Democrats to reopen the government.\n\n\u201cAnd once they do, Republicans look forward to having some serious discussions about how to address rising health care costs and the failures of the Democrats\u2019 signature health care law.\n\n\u201cMr. President, before I close I\u2019d like to mention a bill that Democrats are reportedly going to attempt to move by unanimous consent today.\n\n\u201cAnd I would just say that, after a month of steadily increasing pain thanks to the Democrats\u2019 shutdown, Democrats have apparently woken up to the fact that in three days \u2013 in three days \u2013 they\u2019re going to be responsible for SNAP recipients starting to go without food stamps.\n\n\u201cSo what are Democrats doing?\n\n\u201cAre they making plans to end their shutdown and reopen the government?\n\n\u201cNope.\n\n\u201cThey are going to propose a bill to fund food stamps during their shutdown.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s right.\n\n\u201cDemocrats don\u2019t want the bad press of hungry Americans.\n\n\u201cBut they\u2019re also apparently unwilling to even contemplate ending their month-long shutdown.\n\n\u201cSo they\u2019re trying to insulate themselves with this bill.\n\n\u201cMr. President, do you know what\u2019s not in this bill?\n\n\u201cPaychecks for our troops.\n\n\u201cPaychecks for law enforcement officers and federal firefighters.\n\n\u201cPaychecks for air traffic controllers.\n\n\u201cPaychecks for other government workers.\n\n\u201cFunding for rental and housing assistance.\n\n\u201cFunding for small business loan programs.\n\n\u201cFunding for farm loan programs.\n\n\u201cFunding for tribal programs.\n\n\u201cFunding for Head Start.\n\n\u201cFunding for rural development programs.\n\n\u201cFunding for National Guard training.\n\n\u201cFunding for telehealth services.\n\n\u201cShall I go on?\n\n\u201cBecause I\u2019m happy to.\n\n\u201cEvery one of those programs I\u2019ve mentioned has either run out of money, is running out of money, or is otherwise in jeopardy because of the Democrats\u2019 government shutdown.\n\n\u201cAnd the Democrats\u2019 bill would do nothing to support even one of those programs.\n\n\u201cThanks to Democrats, federal workers are lining up at food banks.\n\n\u201cAnd Democrats\u2019 bill is certainly not going to help them as they struggle to pay the rent. Or the electric bill. Or make their car payment.\n\n\u201cMr. President, enough is enough.\n\n\u201cThis bill is a cynical attempt to provide political cover for Democrats to allow them to carry on their government shutdown even longer.\n\n\u201cAnd we\u2019re not going to let them pick winners and losers.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s time to fund everybody.\n\n\u201cAnd the bill sitting right there at the desk does that.\n\n\u201cWe just need five brave Democrats.\n\n\u201cIf Democrats really want to fund SNAP and WIC, we have a bill for them.\n\n\u201cA clean, nonpartisan CR to fund SNAP, WIC, and the entire federal government.\n\n\u201cOr we could pass the agriculture appropriations bill that Democrats have been resisting behind closed doors.\n\n\u201cThat would fund SNAP, WIC, and our farm and conservation programs.\n\n\u201cNot to mention ensuring salaries for the people who inspect our food and support our farmers.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m happy to bring that up right now.\n\n\u201cMr. President, Democrats have spent a month \u2013 a month, now \u2013 playing with people\u2019s livelihoods because the far-left wing of their party won\u2019t let them accept a clean, nonpartisan CR.\n\n\u201cEnough is enough.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re not giving Democrats political cover.\n\n\u201cIf they want to prevent damage from their shutdown, then they can end their shutdown.\n\n\u201cThe bill is right there at the desk.\n\n\u201cAnd I will call a vote the minute Democrats tell me they have enough votes to fund the government.\n\n\u201cThe ball\u2019s really in their court, Mr. President.\n\n\u201cIs this what you want the American people to think?\n\n\u201cThat you\u2019re willing to give them enormous amounts of pain and adverse consequence so that you can gain leverage \u2013 political leverage?\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s time to end it, Mr. President.\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=ECCFC609-ABF6-4AC3-9521-6F9803F587A6"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.242320915684104, "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"}