Senate Talks Amidst Government Shutdown

Senate Majority Leader John Toon mentioned on Newsmax that a few moderate Democrats have been reaching out to him, expressing a desire to resolve the current shutdown.

Congress had urged the federal government to close at 12:01 AM on Wednesday after failing to approve a funding bill before the October 1 deadline. Thune discussed this situation and noted that Democratic leaders are under internal pressure as the shutdown continues.

“Chuck is in a tough spot. He made deals with various leftist interest groups. That’s unfortunate, but it seems he feels compelled to respond to pressure from the progressive side. Still, there are many reasonable Democrats in the middle,” Thune stated. He added, “We’re getting feedback from them. They’re looking for an exit strategy from this predicament that Chuck Schumer has put them in.”

Thune pointed out that catering to progressive activists makes it nearly impossible for Schumer to backtrack.

“I don’t think he’s in a position to make significant concessions. He has invested a lot in trying to satisfy groups like Moveon.org, which influences his decisions in the Senate,” Thune remarked. He went on to say that Schumer has historically argued against taking hostages, stressing the need to keep the government functioning.

Thune also highlighted that Democrats seem to be departing from their previous principles. “These are statements he made before, as have many Democrats in the past, but now their position is vastly different when the tables have turned. It’s all about politics,” he noted. “The essence of the matter is straightforward: we will keep the government operational and continue the budgeting process, something he failed to do when he led as majority leader.”

Despite some Democrats quietly seeking an escape from the impasse, party leadership initiated the shutdown to cut health costs, unwilling to back down even after millions of Medicare beneficiaries lost remote health and home care coverage due to funding lapses that occurred at midnight on Wednesday. Several Democrats indicated they would maintain a tough stance against the president.