Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Republicans Ignoring Democrats’ Calls To Negotiate On A Bipartisan Funding Bill, Pushing The Government Toward A Shutdown
Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor slamming Trump and Republican lawmakers for refusing to negotiate with Democrats on a bipartisan government funding measure that will help lower costs and protect Americans’ healthcare, instead pushing the country toward a government shutdown. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:
I want to be very clear about something: when Donald Trump goes on Fox News and says to Republicans “don’t even bother to deal with” Democrats, when he says out loud that he doesn’t need or want our votes, that means that Donald Trump wants a shutdown.
Make no mistake about it: Trump can say a million times he doesn’t want a shutdown, but he is acting as if he absolutely wants one.
His words say one thing, but his actions say another.
He’s ordering Republicans not to even bother working with Democrats.
He is telling Republicans to “fight back” against “the radical left Democratic demands.”
He is telling them to vote yes on a partisan CR that fails to meet the needs of the American people and had no Democratic input.
These are the kinds of actions a president takes when he wants a shutdown – closing negotiations, forcing partisan votes, ignoring the needs on healthcare, on costs, on so many other issues of the American people.
And it’s the same story with Leader Thune and Speaker Johnson. They are doing exactly what Donald Trump wants.
They say they want to vote on a partisan CR as soon as possible here in the Congress, but they have refused to even sit down at the table with Democrats.
So look, our Republican colleagues can say whatever they want. But it is clear as could be that they want a shutdown.
They can say they don’t. But they’re acting as though they do want a shutdown.
They can try and play the blame game, but their actions tell a different story.
Their actions show they clearly want to shut things down because they don’t want to negotiate with Democrats.
And it’s more than that.
It means Republicans don’t want to help Americans with the crisis they’ve created by raising people’s costs, particularly their healthcare costs.
They don’t want to do anything about the crisis they’ve created for our hospitals, despite the outcry from hospitals, hospital workers, and patients, from one end of the country to the other.
They don’t want to do anything about the fact that people’s premiums are about to shoot through the roof.
They don’t want to stop the rampant and illegal abuses of Donald Trump when he steals or cancels Congressionally approved funding for medical research and other things.
By refusing to sit down with Democrats, Republicans are telling the American people that they are happy to help Donald Trump burn this country down and they’re happy to let the government shut down.
Well, the American people don’t want Republicans to shut the government down.
The American people expect Republicans, who are in charge, to sit down and negotiate, as any responsible leaders would do.
They expect Republicans to do their jobs.
On Friday, Donald Trump said on Fox and Friends that all he needs is Republican votes. He’s wrong. He doesn’t know how to count.
It takes 60 Senate votes for anything to pass. That means you need Democratic votes. That’s a plain fact.
And to get those votes, he needs some input from Democrats. And we particularly want to talk about people's high costs, particularly in healthcare, created by the Republicans’ “Big, Beautiful Bill.” Those are the plain facts.
If Donald Trump says no negotiations at all, then it’s Donald Trump’s shutdown.
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