“What Senator Schumer and Democrats in this body are really saying is this:Every day of this Schumer Shutdown strengthens their alliance with far-left activist groups. These radicals hold the reins of today’s Democrat party. They’re driving the stagecoach. Not Senator Schumer. Not Representative Jeffries. And they’re driving it off a cliff.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, today spoke on the Senate Floor slamming Senator Schumer (D-N.Y.) for bowing to the far-left’s demands to keep the government closed. Senator Barrasso’s remarks came days before far-left activist groups plan to descend on Washington, D.C., to cheer on the Schumer Shutdown.
Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso’s remarks.
Sen. Barrasso’s remarks as prepared:
“Today is day sixteen of the Schumer Shutdown. Democrats have an opportunity to end the charade today. I expect they won’t. Why? For starters, the Minority Leader believes, ‘Every day gets better for us.’ He must be talking about Democrat Leadership and Democrat politicians. He can’t be talking about people all across the country. Not the people who work hard to keep us safe every day. Not the federal workers who are not getting paid. Oh no, he can’t be talking about them when he refers to ‘everyday gets better for us.’
“What Senator Schumer and Democrats in this body are really saying is this:
Every day of this Schumer Shutdown strengthens their alliances with the far-left activist groups. These radicals hold the reins of today’s Democrat party. They’re driving the stagecoach. Not Senator Schumer. Not Representative Jeffries. The people who are driving the stagecoach are the left-wing activists, and they’re driving it off a cliff.
“Let me give you another reason why I suspect the Democrats will once again refuse to reopen the government. It’s because the far-left activist groups are pressuring Democrats to keep the government closed until after their radical, anti-America rally, which is going to be held this weekend. The rally – which some have labeled the ‘I Hate America’ rally – is going to take place Saturday. There will be rallies in Washington, D.C., and across the country.
“We just heard from the Minority Leader on the Floor, inviting people to attend these rallies, to participate in the – what I and other have referred to as the ‘I Hate America Rally.’ He is a cheerleader for these far-left activist groups and their causes. All these rallies are going to be led by the far-left activists, and all will be calling on the Democrats to keep the government closed. And the Democrats in this body are beholden to every single one of these far-left activist groups. Groups like ‘Hashtag Resist Trump” and ‘American Atheists.’
“Here’s a headline from Politico: ‘Chuck Schumer’s critics are satisfied – for now.’ The article goes on to quote the head of a far-left activist group called Indivisible. This group is organizing Saturday’s radical rally. The leader of this far-left group says of the Minority Leader, ‘He hasn’t surrendered yet. I call that progress, and we’re cheering him on now.’ Seven months ago, that same person had a very different message for the Minority Leader. That same person said, ‘Senator Schumer should step aside as leader. Every Democrat in the Senate should call for him to do so.’ So what changed? Well, Senator Schumer started toeing the line of the far-left group. He shut down the government in spite of the fact that 13 times when Joe Biden was president he voted for a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open. What changed? Well, the Minority Leader is now a puppet of the radical, extreme, dangerous, scary wing of his party.
“He huddled with far-left activist groups for months before the shutdown. They orchestrated the Schumer Shutdown together. They organized a war room. They’re calling the tune. Senator Schumer even gloated to Punchbowl News: ‘We thought about this long in advance.’ This is a premeditated, political game for Senator Schumer and the Democrats. It is a dangerous game for every other American.
“People are not receiving paychecks because Senate Democrats want to prove their allegiance to the far-left. Democrats want a standing ovation this Saturday when they address the radical wing of their party. The wing that’s holding the reins. A wing that is extreme, dangerous, and scary. A wing that is pro-crime and anti-America. That’s what we’re facing. Senate Democrats want to be cheered on for holding hostage the paychecks of TSA agents and air traffic controllers. Meanwhile, Americans are sick and tired of Democrats’ dangerous political games. They just want to get back to work.
“Today, Democrats will have an opportunity to prove that they aren’t beholden to the far-left of their party. We will vote soon on a bipartisan appropriations bill to fund the Department of Defense. The warfighters. The troops. The people who keep our nation and our allies safe. The bill already passed the Appropriations Committee. The vote was 26 to 3. 26 voted for it. Only 3 voted against it. Today, we will see if Democrats will work with us on this bipartisan appropriations bill. They claim they want regular order, they claim they want things to work together. And it’s a bill they have said themselves is necessary. Remember, Senator Schumer did not bring a single appropriations bill to this Floor when he was the Majority Leader. I wonder who he’s going to side with today? Senate Republicans this year have already approved three appropriations bills to fund the government. This would be the fourth.
“Democrats are holding the government hostage and they’re holding the American people hostage. Republicans are committed to reopening the government. Republicans will keep holding votes on our bipartisan, clean continuing resolution. One that Democrats voted for 13 times in favor of when Joe Biden was in the White House. Democrats have an opportunity and an obligation to end this Schumer Shutdown. We should end it today.”
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