“In an interview just yesterday with Punchbowl News, Senator Murphy said reopening the government would do ‘substantial damage’ to Democrats’ ‘brand.’ There you have it. Functioning government is bad for the ‘brand.’”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, today blasted Senate Democrats for their 38-day cruel and heartless shutdown.

Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso’s remarks.

Sen. Barrasso’s remarks as prepared:

“Today is November 7, 2025. We are now one month and seven days into the longest shutdown in American history. Democrats can claim they now broke the record. And for what? For leverage. For politics. Meanwhile, in every state in the Union, the American people are getting hurt.

“Soldiers are working without pay at Fort Benning in Georgia. Where are the two Democrat Senators from Georgia? A single mom in Michigan is struggling to put food on the table for her children. Where are the two Democrat Senators from Michigan? Capitol Police Officers and staff members on this very Floor are struggling to pay their bills. Do Democrat Senators not care about them? The government is still closed. They’re not getting paid.

“Each and every one of these people are being hurt by the Schumer Shutdown. Every day gets worse for them. Yet Senator Schumer has bragged to the press, ‘Every day gets better for us.’ Who is the us? It certainly is not the people whose flights were grounded all across the country today.

“To keep our skies safe, the FAA directed airlines to reduce the number of flights. This impacted major airports all across America. It was the right thing to do. The FAA Administrator – someone with 35 years of experience in the field – says we’re in ‘new territory.’ He’s never seen anything like this. And here’s what should terrify every American. One Democrat staffer said Democrats won’t reopen the government unless ‘planes are falling out of the sky.’ Let that sink in. Democrats are waiting for disaster. They’re gambling with American lives.

“Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut – a Democrat with presidential ambitions – admitted it on the record. In an interview just yesterday with Punchbowl News, Senator Murphy said reopening the government would do ‘substantial damage’ to Democrats’ ‘brand.’ There you have it. Functioning government is bad for the ‘brand.’ Democrats’ brand matters more to them than 42 million hungry Americans. Democrats’ brand matters more to them than military families who aren’t getting paid. Democrats’ brand matters more to them than safety in our skies.

“Let’s call this Democrat Shutdown what it is. It’s cruel. It’s heartless.

“Let’s be fair. Even some Democrats now recognize it’s cruel and heartless. They’re starting to turn on each other. One Democrat staffer admitted to the press that far-left Democrats have no plan to end this shutdown. None. Zero. They want to keep it going forever. This staffer even admitted, the far-left Democrats are hurting people for political gain. He said, ‘Families who can afford it least’ are getting ‘walloped’ every day the shutdown continues.

“Democrats can and should end the shutdown today. Republicans have a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution to reopen the government. We want to pair this with three full year appropriation bills. These are bills that have already passed the Senate with bipartisan support. They have been negotiated on a bipartisan basis with the House. They fully fund veterans’ care. They fully fund our Capitol Police. They fully fund food assistance programs such as SNAP and WIC.

“This is a reasonable deal. A responsible deal. A deal Democrats earlier this week asked Republicans to put on the Floor. If it passes, the Schumer Shutdown ends quickly. 13,000 air traffic controllers get paid. 50,000 TSA agents get paid. 1.3 million military members get paid. Food assistance for 42 million Americans gets fully funded. Flights get restored. The government reopens.

“Some Senate Democrats have signaled they will still vote no. Evidently, they want the pain, they want the pressure, and – as members of this body as well as the House Democrat Whip said – they want ‘leverage’ to continue so they can score political points.

“Let me be clear about what a ‘no’ vote means. A NO vote is a vote to refuse to pay air traffic controllers who are working. Refuse to pay TSA agents who are working. Refuse to pay military members who are serving around the world. Refuse to pay Capitol Police officers who are here in this building working.

“A NO vote is a vote to cut more flights and to cause chaos for families hoping to travel over Thanksgiving. A NO vote is a vote to deny food to 42 million Americans. A NO vote means Democrats get to continue to play their dangerous game of the politics of pain. There’s no excuse – none – for voting NO.

“Don’t tell me ‘I want leverage,’ which is what Democrats are saying. The American people are not leverage. When Democrats treat Americans as political pawns, the American people lose. Don’t tell me ‘I’m standing on principle.’ What are your principles when you allow 42 million Americans to continue to go hungry?

“The American people are watching. They’re watching to see who is fighting for them and who is simply using them as leverage.”

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