Republican lawmakers have referred to the government closure as the “Schumer shutdown,” blaming Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for directing his fellow Democrats to oppose the clean continuing resolution that would have temporarily extended funding.
‘He’s afraid of his own party.’
Majority Leader Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) shared his comments about the shutdown on Thursday, arguing Democrats had taken the CR hostage.
“I don’t know that there’s a lot to negotiate,” Thune told NBC News.
“I don’t think you can keep this hostage. As soon as they release the hostage, then we can talk about those other issues.”
When asked whether Democrat lawmakers were “forcing Senator Schumer’s hand,” Thune responded, “Sure they are.”
“He’s under a tremendous amount of pressure. The far-left activist base in his party is what’s driving this, and they want to fight with the president,” Thune continued.
“They picked this hostage. I don’t think it’s a smart one, and I think it undermines what they’re trying to accomplish in the long run.”
RELATED: Trump’s MASTER PLAN to ensure shutdown spells DOOMSDAY for Democrats
Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
During a Thursday episode of “Blaze News: The Mandate,” Blaze Media senior politics editor and Washington, D.C., correspondent Christopher Bedford speculated that Schumer is afraid of a primary from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
“He’s afraid of his own party,” Bedford said. “And it’s people like her that threaten him.”
He emphasized the importance of understanding government.
“It’s fine to be AOC and a rock-thrower on the outside. It’s fine to be some of the back-benchers in the GOP, who just want to throw rocks and don’t want to get along with people and don’t understand why they can’t get their way. But at the end of the day, it’s the people who really understand how to wield power and how to use power, which is what’s differentiated this Republican administration from previous ones,” Bedford said.
He explained that those in this Trump administration “actually know how the mechanisms of the bureaucracy work.”
RELATED: Russell Vought’s quiet war on big government
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Vice President JD Vance. Photographer: Annabelle Gordon/Bloomberg via Getty Images
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought is “working diligently” to slash government bureaucracy amid the shutdown.
“I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent. I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. They are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” President Donald Trump wrote on social media Thursday morning.
Trump called on Republicans to use the shutdown as an opportunity to “clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud.”
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News, Christopher bedford, Chuck schumer, Schumer, Donald trump, Trump, Trump administration, Trump admin, John thune, Government shutdown, Russell vought, Russ vought, Karoline leavitt, Politics