Senate Republicans are increasingly concerned about the precedent set by Senate Democrats amid the ongoing government shutdown, now entering its 20th day.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and the Democratic caucus have firmly insisted on extending expiring Obamacare subsidies. They have also shifted the narrative from a government funding dispute to a broader battle over healthcare.
However, it has been over three weeks since Schumer and the Democrats blocked Republicans’ initial attempt to pass the House GOP’s continuing resolution, which included premium tax credits, even though they would have reopened the government. On Thursday alone, Democrats blocked the effort to “turn the lights back on” for the 10th time. Hours later, they also blocked a procedural move that would have allowed lawmakers to consider the annual defense spending bill.
In both instances, Democrats sought guarantees that Senate Republican Leader John Thune and other Republicans were unable to provide.
“The Dems, someday, they’re going to rue the day they did this, because we have offered up an open appropriations process, regular order, doing things that way,” Thune told Fox News Digital. “I think it’s unfortunate, but it’s a reality that we’re dealing with. And I hope they change their mind and realize that it’s in everybody’s best interest to try and at least get the government open and then start going to work and funding the government the old-fashioned way.”
Many Republicans are hopeful that the “No Kings” rally held in Washington, D.C., over the weekend might encourage Senate Democrats to reconsider their stance. However, others view the rally as a performative effort by congressional Democrats to demonstrate they are fighting back against President Donald Trump and the GOP.
“Typically, if you reward bad behavior, you get more bad behavior,” Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) told Fox News Digital. “That’s what the Democrats are basically doing. They’re pretending that President Trump didn’t get elected last November. That’s basically the whole fight, because they have the goofballs that are going to be here Saturday, so they have to show the goofballs they’re fighting.”
https://nypost.com/2025/10/20/us-news/gop-senators-say-schumers-shutdown-is-destroying-the-senate/
