03.11.25

Thune: Republicans Work Diligently to Prevent a Government Shutdown

“I think the American people are going to be interested to see whether the Democrats are going to filibuster - and, by filibustering, shut down the federal government.”

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke at a press conference with Senate Republican leadership:

Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):

“Good afternoon, everyone.

“Without action from Congress, the government will run out of funding come Friday.

“And I think we all know why we are here.

“And that is because, despite last year, the Senate Appropriations Committee passing 11 of the 12 appropriation bills – six of them unanimously, all of those 11 with big, bipartisan margins – not a single one of them was put on the floor last year by Leader Schumer.

“And those bills were all available at the end of July.

“Those bills had all been passed through the Senate Appropriations Committee at the end of July of last year.

“And so, here we are on the brink of a government shutdown, which will be entirely of the Democrats’ making if it happens – because the House today will be voting on a continuing resolution to fund the government throughout the end of the year, and will send that over here to the Senate where we’ll have an opportunity to act on it.

“A similar continuing resolution passed at the end of last year in the Senate with 85 votes.

“This one should be no different, honestly.

“But as you all know, it takes 60 votes in the Senate to pass an appropriations bill, so we’re going to need some Democrats to vote for it.

“The Democrats have used the filibuster three times this year already, despite arguing for its elimination as recently as a few months ago.

“But three times this year, they’ve already filibustered bills in front of the Senate.

“I think the American people are going to be interested to see whether the Democrats are going to filibuster – and, by filibustering, shut down the federal government.

“It is on them if this happens.

“There is a funding vehicle available coming over from the House of Representatives that will fund the government through the end of the fiscal year – September 30 – and we are prepared to take it up here in the Senate and make sure that, on Friday, the government stays open.

“But it will be up to the Democrats as to whether or not that happens.”