Republicans say the Democrats chose the government shutdown, and Americans are paying the price. But they will not back down to the Democratic Party demands, and said Democrats are pushing a $1.5 trillion ransom note to taxpayers for just a month of keeping government funding extended.
“The Democrat caucus here in town, in the Senate, has chosen to shut down the government over a clean, nonpartisan funding bill,” said Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune. “That’s right – a clean, nonpartisan funding bill. 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. 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.”
Republicans said politicians in Congress may think a government shutdown might sound like abstract words, but the impact is painfully real and will continue to get worse across America. Republicans said the Democrat-led shutdown is halting paychecks for troops and federal law enforcement, furloughing and risking the jobs of federal employees, jeopardizing flood insurance and healthcare services, and cutting off nutrition support for low-income mothers and children in need.
Democrats are insisting to the American public that Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House, so the Republicans own the government shutdown. The Democratic Party is also saying that the nation is facing a Republican-manufactured healthcare crisis due to the current government shutdown.
Republican Representative Tom Cole warned these are not hypothetical consequences, saying everyday families are paying the price because Democrats are refusing to reopen the government with a clean, nonpartisan funding extension.
“What are Democrats achieving by instigating a shutdown and keeping the federal government closed? Nothing but pain, risked livelihoods, and throwing the entire nation into chaos and uncertainty,” House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole said. “It’s absolutely reckless to do what Democrats are doing. I authored the clean legislation they rejected to keep the government open and working, and I know exactly what’s in it: no partisan provisions, no poison pills, no political gimmicks—just a short-term, responsible extension. If they can’t be for that, then they’ve abandoned the most basic duty of public service: keeping the government working for the people.”
Republicans insist the Democratic proposal is “nothing more than a dirty, Counterfeit Resolution that crams in partisan policy and extraneous provisions, while pushing the nation closer to crisis and risking FY26 appropriations progress.” They said the country should know what is included in the proposal from Democrats, including:
- Restores taxpayer-funded free healthcare for illegal aliens.
- Props up liberal news programs.
- Prioritizes electric vehicle access to HOV lanes, regardless of vehicle occupancy.
- Removes work requirements for able-bodied, non-working adults on taxpayer-funded health programs.
- Resumes DEI projects in foreign countries.
- Hands criminals over $1 billion more for taxpayer-funded defense.
- Repeals $50 billion in rural health care funding, hurting hospitals and clinics in vulnerable communities.
- Reverses lawful executive actions made by the President.
- Rescinds border security measures passed through the Working Families Tax Cuts.
- Usurps the President’s authority over emergency funds.
- Locks in Biden Administration grant policies in direct contrast to President Trump’s executive orders.
- Handcuffs the Trump Administration’s ability to make agile decisions.
- Burdens Trump Administration officials with added bureaucracy meant to slow down progress.
- Includes $1.5 trillion in new spending for just a month of keeping government funding extended.
“This shutdown isn’t just a lapse in funding—it’s a lapse in our ability to effectively counter the deadly flow of illicit drugs into our country,” Florida Republican Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said. “The Schumer-led shutdown halts essential support for counternarcotics operations, including efforts to stop the scourge of fentanyl before it reaches American communities. Under Chairman Tom Cole’s leadership, House Republicans did our job—we passed all 12 appropriations bills out of committee, including strong national security provisions in my subcommittee’s bill. This is just one of the many devastating consequences of Senate Democrats’ failure to act.”
The Republican Party called on the Democratic Party to open the federal government and open the discussions.
RELATED: Democrats: Republicans Control House, Senate, White House & Own Shutdown
