On Monday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) called out a “double dose of Democrat hypocrisy” when it came to a push to pass the GO...
On Monday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) called out a “double dose of Democrat hypocrisy” when it came to a push to pass the GOP-backed stopgap bill that averted a partial government shutdown earlier this month.
In remarks on the Senate floor, Thune alluded to how just nine Democrats and one independent helped the upper chamber overcome the three-fifths filibuster threshold and proceed with a continuing resolution that provided funds to various federal agencies and programs through the end of September.
“The rest preferred to filibuster the bill and shut down the government. It was a double dose of Democrat hypocrisy,” Thune said. “Democrats who had campaigned to abolish the filibuster enthusiastically embraced it now that it served their purposes and Democrats who had decried the evils of government shutdowns now embraced shutting down the government.”
Illustrating how Democrats have changed their tune depending on the situation, Thune shared quotes from some of his colleagues from across the aisle who voted against invoking cloture on the latest funding patch after decrying shutdowns in a political fight last year over keeping the government open.
Without naming anyone, Thune appeared to read a post on X from Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) in March 2024 that called shutdowns “as devastating as they are stupid” and another from Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) in February 2024 that said, “Even a partial shutdown could disrupt supply chains, hurt small businesses, risk travel delays, and increase food prices for millions of Americans.”
Thune quipped: “Democrats are changing their position so abruptly it could give you whiplash. The only thing that doesn’t look likely to change is the Democrats’ willingness to change their principles when it suits their political purposes.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was one of the Democrats who voted in favor of moving forward with the continuing resolution last week. He warned that a shutdown would empower President Donald Trump to keep cutting programs as part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort led by Elon Musk. However, some on the Left have argued that Schumer abdicated to Republicans and went as far as to call on him to step aside.
Looking to what comes next, Thune said, “I hope the Democrats will manage to move past the fact that they weren’t able to shut down the government, but whether they accept their defeat or decide to throw a tantrum about it, we’re going continue to do the job that we were elected and sent here to do.”