“Democrats are holding the American people hostage to extract far-left concessions. They’re telling our service members their paychecks are negotiable. They’re telling small businesses their dreams are collateral damage in a partisan fight. They’re telling mothers and young children that WIC benefits are leverage for far-left demands of healthcare for noncitizens.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, today spoke on the Senate Floor about how hardworking Americans and states across the country are forced to pay the price of the Schumer Shutdown.

Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso’s remarks.

Sen. Barrasso’s remarks as prepared:

“Following up on what the Majority Leader says, it says here, ‘Democratic leaders are playing a dangerous game.’ That’s what the Democrats are doing. We heard the Majority Leader talk about what we’re trying to do, what we’re facing, how Chuck Schumer is held hostage by the liberal groups who set up the war room with him. And what we see is a dangerous game being played and threats to the American people. This is The Washington Post. This goes on to say, ‘There is a clean funding bill on the table. Only a handful of Senate Democrats need to vote for it.’ Instead, the Minority Leader is leading the Democrat Party into a boxed canyon, can’t get out. It’s a dangerous game. And it’s not just dangerous for them. It’s dangerous for the American people. That’s where the danger lies.

“So I come to the Floor today because the American people are facing an immediate crisis, and they know why. Anybody watching knows why. It’s because Senate Democrats have now voted five times against a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution that would open the government today. This is Day 8 of the Schumer Shutdown. The country is being held hostage by the Democrats, and they’re playing a dangerous game. So, the question before us is simple. What have Democrats accomplished during this dangerous game they’re playing?

“On October 10, on Friday, in two days, Border Patrol Agents and other federal workers will receive only half a paycheck. That’s the result of the Democrats’ dangerous game. It will be their last paycheck unless and until the Schumer Shutdown ends and Democrats vote to reopen the government. They could do it today. The House of Representatives passed a clean continuing resolution at current funding levels. It funds our military, pays our law enforcement, continues food assistance for moms with young children, and keeps small business loans flowing. Democrats voted 13 times under Joe Biden to keep the government funded. Now, they reject it because they want to please their radical base, their extreme base, the base that has put up a war room that Chuck Schumer has bowed down to. That’s what we just heard from the Majority Leader. They’re the ones calling the shots. And that’s why we find ourselves in this situation.

“Democrats are demanding radical new policies before they allow the government to reopen. I’ve seen their new ransom note. It is stitched together like Frankenstein’s Monster: $1.5 trillion in reckless new spending; free healthcare for illegal immigrants; free Medicaid for working-aged, able-bodied adults who refuse to work – there are over five million of these individuals in the United States and yet they refuse to work, and the Democrats want them all to get free Medicaid; $50 billion that Democrats want to cut from vulnerable rural hospitals. Do the Democrats not care at all about those communities even though there are rural communities in their states? They are beholden to the big cities and the mayors and the sanctuary cities that control the Democrat Party. That’s what we’re dealing with here. That’s why The Washington Post called what Democrats are doing, as I pick it up again, a ‘dangerous game.’

“Democrats are holding the American people hostage to extract far-left concessions. They’re telling our service members their paychecks are negotiable. They’re telling small businesses their dreams are collateral damage in a partisan fight. They’re telling mothers and young children that WIC benefits are leverage for far-left demands of healthcare for noncitizens. Republicans remain committed to ensuring families receive the support they deserve. Democrats have chosen repeatedly to keep the government closed for political purposes only. American families are feeling the pain nationwide.

“In Georgia, more than 100,000 federal employees are wondering where they will find the money to pay their bills and buy their groceries.

“In Arizona, 344,000 children enrolled in SNAP face uncertainty. Those benefits are running out. Time is of the essence. Shutdown Democrats are telling those families their problems aren’t urgent.

“In New York, 438,000 individuals who rely on WIC will lose access at the end of this week. It’s already Wednesday. We’re talking about pregnant women, new mothers, and young children. They depend on this program.

“In Illinois, every week the shutdown continues, it costs the state’s economy over $500 million. That’s jobs lost, paychecks missed, and opportunities evaporated.

“In Michigan, small businesses face delays of $92 million in loans because the Small Business Administration is frozen during a shutdown. These businesses are the backbone of our communities and our economy. They should be able to make payroll and keep their doors open, not as the Democrats continue to play what has been termed a ‘dangerous game.’

“In Nevada, for each month the shutdown continues, consumer spending from lost wages will fall by over $200 million. That’s money that won’t flow into local businesses, won’t pay rent, and won’t put food on the table.

“In New Jersey, telehealth programs are on hold. I’m a doctor. Without these programs, patients may be put at greater risk.

“In New Hampshire, workers maintaining our nuclear attack submarines face furloughs and unpaid work. This goes beyond missing a paycheck. This is about our national security. The Schumer Shutdown, the dangerous game that he is playing, puts America’s safety at risk.

“At airports nationwide, we are already seeing the direct effects of the shutdown. Flights are being delayed. Security lines are growing longer.

“Even the head of the Teamsters Union, Sean O’Brien, says that Democrats’ political theater is something he can see right through. He says, ‘A shutdown will hurt working people. Period. American workers are not a bargaining chip.’ That’s the leader of the Teamsters Union. He goes on to say, ‘Senators should stop screwing around and pass the House-passed clean, short term funding bill.’ That’s where we are today. He’s right. Regrettably, Senate Democrats are treating the American people as bargaining chips. As hostages. That’s why they sent the list of demands as ransom.

“Democrats have voted five times against opening the government. They have voted five times against supporting our military. Five times against paying law enforcement officers. Five times against food assistance for mothers with young children. Five times against small business loans that help Main Street. Five times Democrats have looked at the mounting damage of the Schumer Shutdown and shrugged their shoulders. That’s the situation we have today.

“The American people overwhelmingly say Democrats should pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown immediately. There is a clean, bipartisan resolution before the Senate. It is ready for a vote right now. It reopens the government immediately. Today. It would protect the paychecks and the programs that Americans depend on. It would end the uncertainty gripping millions of American families.

“The question is not whether Democrats can end the shutdown. The only question is whether they have integrity to do it. Or will they continue to play this dangerous game with our nation and with our families?”

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