VIDEO: Blackburn Slams Schumer for Holding Government Hostage to Ram Through Reckless New Spending

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) delivered remarks on the Senate floor slamming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Democrats for shutting down the government in an attempt to ram through a $1.5 trillion radical left wishlist of new spending instead of working through the regular order appropriations process:

Click here to download Senator Blackburn's remarks on the Senate floor.

Democrats Forced a Shutdown Instead of Working to Pass Appropriations Bills Through Regular Order

"Today, Congress should be hard at work for the American people. We should be working through the NDAA and passing our appropriations bills through regular order.

We can't do any of this because our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have decided to force a government shutdown.

Last night, all but three voted against a stop-gap funding measure that would keep government open through November 21.

By keeping spending at current levels, this measure would have provided us the time we need to pass all of our appropriations bills.

Eight of the twelve have passed through committee with strong bipartisan support.

Three of them-agriculture, legislative branch, and military construction-veterans affairs-already passed on the floor with wide margins.

By passing these appropriation bills, we are ensuring that our government moves from a Biden budget to a Trump budget-which is exactly what the American people voted for.

Democrats Are Holding the Government Hostage to Ram Through a $1.5 Trillion Radical Left Wishlist

Instead of joining us to restore regular order, Democrats are holding the government hostage to ram through $1.5 trillion in additional spending.

$1.5 trillion. With our national debt at $37.5 trillion and climbing, this effort is grossly irresponsible.

It's time for Democrats to come to the table and pass the stop-gap measure.

Democrats Have Voted for Current Spending Levels Five Times Since Last Year

Since last year, they have voted for current spending levels five times-most recently in March.

Under President Biden, they voted to pass clean CRs like this one 13 times.

Last year in this very chamber, the Senate Minority Leader put it perfectly: "This is what the American people want to see: both sides working together and governing responsibly…No chaos. No spectacle. No shutdown."

I know that every Republican agrees. Let's end the chaos. Let's end the spectacle. Let's end the shutdown.

Now is the time to get to work for the American people."