“Democrats are fighting tooth and nail to protect programs most Americans didn’t know existed – and wouldn’t support if they did.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, today spoke on the Senate Floor in support of eliminating wasteful Washington spending.

Senator Barrasso also called out the hypocrisy from Senate Democrats who are threatening to shut down the federal government.

Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso’s remarks.

Sen. Barrasso’s remarks as delivered:

“It is astonishing to listen to the Democrat Minority Leader. We just heard his comments about foreign aid keeping Russia and China at bay. If it were only the case.

“The Minority Leader has a long and spirited history of wasting American tax dollars. Now, he wants to send taxpayer dollars overseas to pay for climate projects and for vegan food programs. Apparently, that is what he means when he talks about foreign aid keeping Russia and China at bay.

“He forgot to mention that he wants to spend half a million dollars to put electric buses on the streets of Rwanda. He forgot to mention that he wants to spend $6 million on ‘Net Zero Cities’ in Mexico. He forgot to mention that he wants to continue to spend $116,000 for media training in Liberia. How does that keep Russia and China at bay? He forgot to mention that he wants to continue to spend $3.3 million on ‘civic engagement’ in Zimbabwe. He didn’t say any of that because there is no good reason for that wasteful spending.

“None of this spending helps farmers and ranchers in Wyoming. None of this spending helps struggling families.

“In November, Americans voted to end wasteful Washington spending. Voters got it right. Chuck Schumer gets it wrong. How many people went to the polls and told politicians to spend $7.4 million of their hard-earned money on teaching foreign countries about ‘environmental racism’? No one.

“Democrats love to hide behind fearmongering. Yet Democrats never stand up and defend this spending on the merits. I don’t see Democrats coming to the Floor and talking about those projects they want to see continued. Because they know it doesn’t hold up to the least amount of scrutiny.

“The American people look at this and, to them, the issue is quite simple – their tax dollars are being wasted and have been wasted for a long time. And Democrats want to continue wasting them. We still have families digging out from the worst inflation in 40 years. We have cities overwhelmed by illegal immigrant crime. People deserve to have their taxpayer dollars focused on their priorities.

“President Trump sent Congress a proposal to rein in some of the worst wasteful spending. How did Democrats respond? Democrats are threatening to shut down the government of the United States. Democrats are fighting tooth and nail to protect programs most Americans didn’t know existed – and wouldn’t support if they did. That’s what we’re doing today – exposing some of these terrible programs and wasteful Washington spending. It is indefensible what happened with spending in the last administration.

“If we have another Schumer Shutdown, the American people will pay a heavy price. Seniors who rely on Social Security. Military families living paycheck to paycheck. Border Patrol agents forced to work and not get paid. All so Democrats can continue to send Americans’ taxpayer dollars to foreign countries for very questionable projects.

“Now, I’ve heard the Minority Leader lecture us about bipartisanship and regular order. Let’s look at what happened when Senator Schumer was the Majority Leader of the United States Senate. Last year, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed 11 of 12 appropriation bills by the summer of 2024. Many received unanimous support. Republicans supported getting these bills done on time, through the committee, on a bipartisan basis.

“What did Senator Schumer do with those bills as Majority Leader of the United States Senate? Nothing. He sat on them for 225 days. He refused to bring up a single one for a vote. Not because he couldn’t. Because he refused to. And now he wants to blame Republicans for gridlock. That is the height of hypocrisy.

“I’m all for regular order. That is why I want to commend Senator Susan Collins for her leadership as the Republican Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. She is working in good faith. She is committed to getting the job done.

“This debate is about more than dollars and cents. It’s about priorities. Americans didn’t vote to continue the Green New Deal and even try to force it on the rest of the world. They voted to fix what’s broken here at home.

“Republicans have our priorities straight. Republicans are making our nation safer and more prosperous. Republicans are getting America back on track.”

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