Story by Matt Kaye, Berns Bureau, Washington (courtesy of NAFB News Service)
It’s again a game of “chicken” as Senate leaders blame each other for a possible October 1st government shutdown. It’s a shutdown that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) says the Democratic leaders have opposed in the past.
“Well apparently, VA offices and nutrition programs and disaster aid for farmers can be sacrificed when Democrats want to make a political point,” said Thune.
But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer claims Republicans can’t pass temporary government funding or a continuing resolution unless they deal on restoring Medicaid and Obamacare cuts. “Now to pass a CR in the Senate, as everyone knows, requires votes from both sides. If one side refuses to negotiate, they are the ones causing the shutdown,” according to Schumer.
But Thune expects some Democrats to break with Schumer, saying “but I would hope there would be Democrat senators who would give us the requisite number of votes to get to 60 in order to keep the government open.”
Thune argues Democrats have backed a bare-bones or ‘clean’ CR in the past and should back one this week lasting into mid-November to allow more time to finish spending bills. But Schumer’s under pressure from many in his party to make a tougher stand against President Trump and Republicans.
“The cost of people’s health care’s gone way up,” says Schumer. “Rural hospitals are already closing because of this Big Beautiful Bill. Job reports continue to show warning signs. Trump’s tariffs are a mess. And the economy’s headed in the wrong direction.”
Thune says shutting the government down is not the answer…that it would jeopardize (B) billions in pending farm disaster and emergency aid and slow progress on USDA, VA and other spending bills.
