Rushmore State News

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) addressed the press on the possibility of a government shutdown, emphasizing that Democrats have a clear decision to make regarding funding legislation. Thune stated that Democrats could either support a short-term, nonpartisan continuing resolution or allow the government to shut down.

“We are only hours away from a government shutdown, and the Democrats have a very clear, binary choice,” Thune said. “They can choose to keep the government open by voting for a short-term, nonpartisan, clean continuing resolution, 24 pages long, or they can vote to shut the government down.”

Thune referenced previous actions by Democrats when they held the majority and President Biden was in office. “They...have voted, during the time they had the majority, 13 different times...on short-term continuing resolutions – 13 different times,” he said. He questioned what had changed since then and suggested that politics is now playing a role because “President Trump is in the White House.”

Thune criticized what he described as new demands from Democrats as part of negotiations over the funding bill. “We are not going to be held hostage for over $1 trillion in new spending on a continuing resolution,” he said. “Nor are we going to be held hostage to allow illegals to get free health care in a continuing resolution. These are things that they’re demanding as part of their so-called negotiation.”

He stressed that passing a funding resolution should be routine business and noted bipartisan work on appropriations within committees: “This is a routine funding resolution to keep the government open so that we can continue our appropriations work and fund the government the old-fashioned way – which is allowing the Appropriations Committee, Democrats and Republicans, to work together, as they have been.”

Thune also responded to claims about lack of consultation: “The Appropriations Committee...picked the date for the continuing resolution, November the 21st. And so this has been an open process from the very beginning.” He added that this year’s appropriations process was more open than under previous Democratic leadership.

He concluded by urging reasonable Democrats to consider what is at stake with a shutdown: “I hope there are Democrats out there – this may not represent the view of their leadership, but I’m hoping there are Democrats out there – who are reasonable and understand what’s at stake here...This is totally avoidable. It is a decision they’re going to have to make, and if the government shuts down, it is on the Senate Democrats.”

“The House has acted. The president’s ready to sign the bill. And all that’s left is for eight Democrats to join us in passing that bill today,” Thune said.