Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Republicans’ Unserious Proposal That Would Hand Trump Power To Decide Who Gets Paid, Demanding Republicans Negotiate To End The Shutdown And Solve The Healthcare Crisis

Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor slamming Republicans and President Trump for putting federal workers and American families at risk, and outlining Democratic proposals to reopen the government and ensure all federal workers are paid. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Right now, on day twenty-three of the longest total government shutdown in American history, millions of American families are wondering how they’ll make rent, pay their bills, or put food on the table. And what’s the Republican response? To hand Donald Trump and his right-hand man, Russ Vought – the originator of the evil, awful Project 2025 – even more power to decide who gets paid and who gets punished.

Let me make one point very clear: the shutdown is on Donald Trump’s back, and the American people know it. They know that Republicans have the presidency, the House, and the Senate, and that the shutdown is on them.

So, Senator Ron Johnson and Republicans are feeling the heat and have come up with this proposal. Senator Johnson and Republicans know, because they're feeling the heat, that the American people know exactly who’s in charge – Donald Trump and Republicans. When workers are laid off, when they’re furloughed, when they miss a paycheck, Americans know who’s to blame. It’s on Donald Trump’s back. That’s why Donald Trump and his allies are pushing this bill.

The bill would not reopen the government, which is the only permanent solution to this crisis.

And Democrats want to reopen the government as quickly as we can. We want to sit down with Leader Thune, with Speaker Johnson, and with Trump and negotiate a way to address this horrible healthcare crisis. We also want to make sure every last federal worker who has suffered during the Trump shutdown is taken care of.

So, that’s why Democrats are offering two solutions that actually includes all of our federal employees, not just the ones that the president picks and chooses. “Oh, I'll lay you off, I’ll furlough you, I won’t do you, I like you, I don't like you.” That's not the way you govern. But that seems to be the way that Trump seems to govern. Our bill is an antidote to that awful way that Trump uses, when he picks winners and loser that he likes and hates.

The bill, the Republican bill, is a ruse. It’s nothing more than another tool for Trump to hurt federal workers and American families and to keep this shutdown going for as long as he wants.

We will not give Donald Trump a license to play politics with people’s livelihoods. That’s why we oppose the Senator Johnson bill, because it doesn’t end the pain of this shutdown – it extends it. The only way – the only way – to pay every federal worker is for Republicans to get serious, sit-down with Democrats, avert their healthcare crisis, and reopen the government.

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