Ricketts Slams Schumer, Democrats’ Shutdown Hypocrisy on the Senate Floor

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On the second day of the government shutdown, during a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) called out the hypocrisy of Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the Democrats in voting to shut down the federal government.

"The government is shut down today, and responsibility lies squarely on the Minority Leader and the Democrats," said Senator Ricketts. "In fact, you could call it his shutdown. Republicans have offered a clean continuing resolution that would keep government open to allow us to continue working on the appropriations process. And my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have called foul."

"The Minority Leader himself voted for this very continuing resolution four times in a row before this case," said Senator Ricketts. "Hypocrisy! They are putting these unreasonable radical left demands in front of us instead of keeping government open."

Ricketts called on Senate Democrats to vote to end the Schumer Shutdown.

"The Democrats should do what they have done 13 times in the Biden administration. Vote for a continuing resolution," closed Senator Ricketts. "Help us continue our work on appropriations, because that's the way the system is supposed to work. We've already passed three bipartisan appropriation bills. The Appropriations Committee has more bipartisan bills ready to work on. This could all be over if the Democrats will simply vote for a continuing resolution that they have already voted yes on four times over the last 18 months and 13 times during the Biden administration. If the American public is looking for answers, they have to look no further than the Democrats to find out who is responsible for this."

Watch the video here.

TRANSCRIPT:

Senator Ricketts: "The government is shut down today, and responsibility lies squarely on the Minority Leader and the Democrats.

"In fact, you could call it his shutdown.

"Republicans have offered a clean continuing resolution that would keep government open to allow us to continue working on the appropriations process.

"And my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have called foul.

"Somehow, this is unfair.

"That we ought to have a negotiation.

"In fact, they are demanding more than a trillion dollars in new spending to be able to keep government open for just seven weeks.

"They want money for illegal immigrants to get health care.

"They want more subsidies for the pandemic era insurance.

"They want to end the Rural Health Care Fund that Republicans put in place for our rural hospitals.

"They demand all of this saying the clean continuing resolution that we've offered is not sufficient.

"Hypocrisy!

"This is hypocrisy.

"13 times in the Biden administration, Democrats voted for a continuing resolution.

"Four times they have voted for this exact level of spending, this budget, four times in the last 18 months.

"In fact, I've got a chart here that shows the percentage of Democrat senators who supported these continuing resolutions.

"And you can see the numbers are almost 100% all the way across.

"And when it's not 100% it's 98%.

"The Minority Leader himself voted for this very continuing resolution four times in a row before this case.

"Hypocrisy!

"They are putting these unreasonable radical left demands in front of us instead of keeping government open.

"Let me share with you a quote from our minority leader.

"In 2013, he said, "What if I persuaded my caucus to say I'm not going to pay our bills unless I get my way? It's a politics of idiocy, of confrontation, of paralysis."

"Further, the Minority Leader said in January 2024, "Passing the CR, of course, will prevent a harmful and unnecessary government shutdown. No reasonable member on either side, Democrat or Republican, wants a government shutdown. Both sides recognize that a government shutdown would mean crushing delays to veterans programs, delays to nutrition programs for women, infants and children, delayed benefits for our military and so much more."

"Now, as I mentioned, the Democrats have said this is about health care, but let me read you a quote from the junior Senator from Connecticut.

"He said, when talking about health care, that "there is a time and a place to debate health care, but not when the funding of the federal government and all the lives that are impacted by it hang in the balance."

"The hypocrisy of the minority leader and the Democrats is breathtaking.

It's stunning.

"During the Biden administration, they were happy to pass continuing resolutions, happy to, and in fact, when given the very same continuing resolution, they voted yes on four times in a row.

"Now they say no for partisan political reasons driven by their radical left wing.

"And again, they say they want to make this about health care. How disingenuous.

"First of all, let's examine the COVID subsidies that they want.

"First of all, they're the COVID subsidies.

"These are pandemic subsidies meant for a pandemic.

"Folks, news flash, the pandemic has been over for four years.

"The Democrats were the ones who set the expiration date on it, and the Democrats, if they were so concerned about this, had all of last year to bring it up and address it and extend it once again.

"If they had chosen to, they chose not to.

"All of a sudden, crying about these subsidies now just smacks of hypocrisy.

"And as I just read you the junior senator from Connecticut's remark, when it suited them before they didn't want to talk about health care when they were talking about continuing resolutions and government shutdowns.

"Folks, this shutdown does mean that folks in my home state of Nebraska could see services diminished.

"It could mean that, for example, Social Security offices may be understaffed.

"Social Security checks are going to go out, but services may be diminished.

"Women and children will not be able to enroll in the WIC program.

"The person who's supposed to help with IRS questions is not available.

"National Parks may be closed.

"All these services may be degraded, and all because the Democrats are holding the American public and Nebraskans in my state hostage for their radical left demands.

"The Democrats should do what they have done 13 times in the Biden administration.

"Vote for a continuing resolution.

"Help us continue our work on appropriations, because that's the way the system is supposed to work.

"We've already passed three bipartisan appropriation bills.

"The Appropriations Committee has more bipartisan bills ready to work on.

"This could all be over if the Democrats will simply vote for a continuing resolution that they have already voted yes on four times over the last 18 months and 13 times during the Biden administration.

"If the American public is looking for answers, they have to look no further than the Democrats to find out who is responsible for this.

"Republicans have offered this continuing resolution and have voted for it.

"And in fact, three Democrats have voted for the continuing resolution, including an independent who caucuses with the Democrats.

"So we will continue to do our part by voting for this continuing resolution and continuing to put it up to give the Democrats a chance to get government back open so we can continue the people's business and work on these appropriation bills, which is what we are supposed to be doing.

"Thank you, Mr. President. I yield back my time."