“Democrats know they could end the shutdown today, but they’re too scared of the radical activists who continue to carry the tune of the Democrat Party.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, today spoke on the Senate Floor on Day 21 of the Schumer Shutdown, calling out Senate Democrats for continuing to cave to the far-left wing of their party.
Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso’s remarks.
Sen. Barrasso’s remarks as delivered:
“I come to the Floor after hearing the Minority Leader on the Floor, and I would like to remind the Minority Leader that it was the Democrats who created Obamacare and, in the process, broke health care in this country. I’m a doctor. I practiced medicine in Wyoming for 24 years. I want American citizens to receive quality, affordable care. So much of that is impossible because of what the Minority Leader supported when Barrack Obama was in the White House. And they realized it was failing so they had to prop it up with juicy subsidies. And it was still failing so then during COVID they needed to prop it up even more with even juicier subsidies. That’s what he’s talking about today.
“Let me point out it was the Minority Leader and his party that set the date for those to end. They’re the ones that chose that date. Those are the folks that have caused the problem here today. And with all these juicy subsidies what they ended up with is program fraught with waste, fraud, abuse, and even corruption. They removed all of the income issues so that anybody, no matter how wealthy and how much money they’re making, are qualified for these juicy subsidies. It’s just wrong. There’s been a complete fall down in terms of the cost of health care and the failures are a result of the program they put in place in the first place. The Minority Leader doesn’t want to think about any of that. And that’s one of the reasons that the Democrats are holding the American people hostage and keeping the government closed.
“Today is the 21st day of the Schumer shutdown. On Thursday Republicans brought to this Senate Floor a bipartisan appropriations bill. It was a bill to appropriate money for the military. If funds our defense. It funds our troops, and it even gives the troops a raise. So this summer, Democrats overwhelmingly supported this bill in committee. The Appropriations Committee voted 26 in favor, only three opposed. So, you think it might have a shot, a chance of passing here on the Floor of the United States Senate to pay the troops, to make sure they have the weapons they need, to make sure they can be the fighting force we need to protect our nation. But on Thursday, Senate Democrats voted no. Evidently, they were for it before they were against it. All but three Democrats voted to deny paychecks to our men and women in uniform.
“So why would they do that? Why would they be for it and then against it? Why would they change their tune? It’s because the radical wing of the Democrat Party demanded it. The radical wing of the Democrat Party, that’s what these people are playing up to. They would rather provide free health care to illegal immigrants in this country than pay the men and women in uniform. That’s who the Democrat Party, the members of this Senate, are following the advice of – and they’re following them right over the cliff.
“Before the vote, Senator Chris Coons of Delaware came to the Floor to explain why Democrats flip-flopped on the critical issue of defending the nation. He’s the Ranking Member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. He helped write the bill. You’d think he would be for it. He is well aware of what we need to do to supply the military with what they need. He said that the bill writing-process was ‘positive’, ‘constructive’ and ‘bipartisan.’ Sure it was. That’s how you get a bill out of the committee 26-3. He admitted on this very Floor last Thursday, he said, ‘I won’t vote for just the defense appropriations bill, even though it’s my bill.’ There you have it. He praised it, helped write it, voted yes, and then voted no. That’s the Democrat Party of today. They were for it before they were against it. That’s what happens when you let the radical left wing of the party call the shots.
“Democrats have now voted 11 times against a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government. They voted 13 times on similar measures supporting a clean continuing resolution when Joe Biden was president. The only difference now is that the far-left activists groups are watching and they are taking names. One Democrat Senator admitted voting to reopen the government would mean ‘people are going to get hammered by the radical left.’ That’s what they’re worried about, getting hammered by the radical left. It’s been reported that Democrat senators are ‘terrified of getting the guillotine’ from the far-left activist groups.
“Democrats know they could end this shutdown today, but they’re too scared of the radical activists who continue to carry the tune of the Democrat Party. There they are, congratulating themselves. On Saturday, Senate Democrats protested in the streets with protesters holding signs calling for the death of President Trump. That’s the Democrat party of 2025. Democrats gave speeches bragging about shutting down the government. They chanted entire songs about resistance, and they worked overtime to prove their loyalty to their rulers – the people that have the leash and the chain around their neck – the Marxist, pro-criminal, anti-police, anti-ICE, anti-American wing of the Democrat Party. They are the extreme, dangerous, scary, radical wing of the party. These are same radicals who have Democrats ‘terrified of getting the guillotine.’
Senator Bernie Sanders says if the shutdown ends, Democrats ‘lose their leverage.’ Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said, ‘I’m very proud of my Democratic colleagues’ for shutting down the government. Proud of what? Of denying paychecks to soldiers? Of denying paychecks to air traffic controllers and TSA agents? I talked to a worker in Wyoming who has to work without a paycheck. ‘How am I going to go to the grocery stores, how am I going to put food on the table, how am I going to make sure my child gets to eat?’ That’s what we have with the Democrat Party today. Forty-two million Americans may soon lose food stamps as a result of the Democrats’ obstruction and keeping the government closed. Flight safety is also at risk because of staffing shortages. Some Democrats are saying they won’t reopen the government unless ‘planes are falling out of the sky.’
“Through it all, Senator Schumer gloats to the press, ‘Every day gets better for us.’ Who the heck is us? He has to be talking about Democrats because it’s certainly not getting better for the American people. Not Border Patrol Agents who aren’t getting paid. Not air traffic controllers who are missing paychecks. Not military families who are lining up at food banks. I look around and I see every day of the Schumer Shutdown getting worse for American families. Two in three Americans say the Democrat Party is ‘weak.’ Every day of this shutdown, Democrats prove Americans right. It is time for Democrats to end this dangerous, political game that they’re playing.
“Republicans are committed to reopening the government, to paying federal workers, and to putting American families first. It is time for Democrats to join us.”
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