WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer faced fierce criticism from Republicans on Thursday after he claimed that the government shutdown was “better” for Democrats, despite the fact that federal employees and U.S. troops will not receive their paychecks in the upcoming week.
GOP leaders including Vice President JD Vance, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) lashed out at the New York Democrat amid the ongoing budget impasse, which entered its second week on Wednesday.
Vance reacted sharply on X to Schumer’s remarks: “Better for Schumer. Worse for Americans. What a vile sentiment from an alleged leader in our country.”
As of October 15, U.S. military personnel will not be receiving their regular paychecks, and hundreds of thousands of federal workers will also miss out on their salaries unless there’s a vote to reopen the government.
“This isn’t a political game. It might be for Democrats, but I don’t know anyone else who thinks that way,” Thune asserted, suggesting that “if the Democrats would only agree, we could reopen the government in just a few hours, literally: pay our troops, pay our federal workers, and stop this madness.”
“While we’re working to do all these positive things for the people and even settle global conflicts, the Democrats are playing games,” Johnson remarked in a Thursday press conference. “It’s political theater to them. They’ve turned Americans’ struggles into a political prop.”
In an interview with Punchbowl News published Thursday, Schumer expressed his perspective on the budget negotiations: “Every day gets better for us.”
Following up in a statement to The Post, Schumer added: “Every day that Republicans refuse to negotiate to end this shutdown the worse it gets for Americans — and the clearer it becomes who’s fighting for them.”
“With each passing day, our argument to fix healthcare and end this shutdown becomes more compelling because families are reading their letters showing how much their premiums may increase if Republicans prevail,” he continued. “They’re realizing why this debate is critical — it’s about safeguarding their health coverage, financial stability, and future.”
Additionally, other Republican officials, including Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, had anticipated a shutdown well in advance.
Hours after the shutdown commenced on October 1, the OMB chief declared that $18 billion in federal funding meant for the Second Avenue subway extension and the Hudson Tunnel was frozen.
Memorandums from Vought’s office have hinted at the administration’s readiness to dismiss federal employees the longer the shutdown lasts — or withhold some backpay once it concludes.
There have been discussions among Congressional members about a series of votes on individual measures to diminish either party’s leverage in the funding debate.
Senate Democrats have rejected the stopgap bill to fund the government until November 21 six times, partly due to the resolution lacking provisions to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at the year’s end.
Republicans have shown willingness to negotiate a separate bill regarding those extensions, with New York Rep. Mike Lawler putting forth such a bipartisan initiative earlier this week.
Others, like Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), have also proposed legislation aimed at ensuring all U.S. troops receive their pay during ongoing negotiations about other funding matters.
A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released Monday revealed that 70% of registered voters oppose the shutdown, and 65% stated that Democrats should support the so-called “clean” continuing resolution to fund the government for the next seven weeks.
Only 35% of voters believe the party should persist in fighting for “additional funds for Obamacare.”
