Rushmore State News

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) addressed the media following a vote by Senate Democrats that resulted in a government shutdown. Thune stated that the shutdown occurred after Democrats rejected what he described as a “clean, nonpartisan funding bill.”

“The Democrat caucus here in town, in the Senate, has chosen to shut down the government over a clean, nonpartisan funding bill,” Thune said. “That’s right – a clean, nonpartisan funding bill.”

He emphasized that Republicans did not propose any new policies or add partisan measures to the funding proposal. “We didn’t ask Democrats to swallow any new Republican policies. We didn’t add partisan riders. We simply asked Democrats to extend existing funding levels to allow the Senate to continue the bipartisan appropriations work that we started. And Senate Democrats said no.”

Thune attributed the shutdown to pressure from progressive groups and members within the Democratic Party: “Why? Because far-left interest groups and far-left Democrat members wanted a showdown with the president. And so Senate Democrats have sacrificed the American people to Democrats’ partisan interests.”

He continued, “I hope it will be some comfort for Americans dealing with shuttered government services to know that MoveOn.org and other far-left organizations are happy with this vote.”

Thune expressed hope for a resolution, stating, “Democrats may have chosen to shut down the government tonight, but we can reopen it tomorrow. All it takes is a handful of Democrats to join Republicans to pass the clean, nonpartisan funding bill that’s in front of us. And I hope – I really hope – that some of them will join us to reopen the government, resume bipartisan appropriations work, and get back to the business of the American people.”

He also referenced public opinion regarding congressional responsibilities: “And I think that’s evidenced by [what] the American people would like to have us do.” Thune noted what he called irony in criticisms about polling sources: “Great irony in this discussion tonight that the Democrat leader was characterizing The New York Times as a biased poll, but I think it’s where the majority of the American people are.”

“They don’t want all the side shows,” Thune concluded. “They don’t want hostage-taking. They want their elected representatives to get down and do the work that they sent us here to do, and part of that is getting this appropriations process back on track – something that we should have done a long time ago.”