Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana took to the Senate floor on Friday, articulating a list of projects he claims Democrats are demanding be reinstated before consenting to reopen the federal government.
The Senate Democrats' decision to block a bipartisan stopgap funding bill has prolonged the government shutdown, with only three Democrats crossing the aisle to support the measure. Kennedy accused the Democrats of holding the government hostage to reinstate what he described as wasteful foreign projects, which lawmakers had previously removed from the budget.
He noted that the party's left wing is threatening to continue the shutdown unless these funds are restored.
According to Conservative Daily News, Kennedy highlighted the Democrats' insistence on reinstating spending items that Republicans had already eliminated. He remarked, "We just eliminated money for all forms of media in the Affordable Care Act. Now those are the demands."
Kennedy further noted that Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the socialist wing of the Democratic Party were particularly upset when President Trump proposed a rescission package to remove what he deemed wasteful expenditures from the budget. "Basically, President Trump just said we want you to take some stuff out of the budget that we think is wasteful, and we did," Kennedy explained.
He added, "And that upset the congresswoman. Shes entitled to be upset if she wants to, but that really upset the socialist wing of the party."
Kennedy emphasized that the shutdown is fundamentally a battle over priorities, with Republicans requesting an additional six weeks to negotiate a comprehensive budget following the expiration of funding. "Thats what this fight is all about. Were in the process of negotiating a budget with our Democratic friends. We ran out of time," Kennedy stated.
He continued, "What we had asked for and what were still asking for is to lets continue [to] negotiate. We meaning the Republicans and the Democrats for six more weeks and try to agree on a budget. Thats all were asking."
The vote on the seven-week funding measure, which would have kept the government operational through November 21, saw Kentucky Senator Rand Paul as the lone Republican dissenting. The measure failed with a 5444 tally, marking the fourth instance of Senate Democrats voting to extend the shutdown.
Far-left organizations, such as MoveOn, have orchestrated a campaign to pressure Democrats into rejecting the bipartisan bill, using the shutdown as political leverage. However, some Democrats, including Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, have broken ranks, questioning the strategy of withholding government funding until Republicans agree to incorporate $1.5 trillion in healthcare provisions.
As the shutdown continues, the debate over fiscal priorities and government spending remains at the forefront. The Republican call for extended negotiations underscores a commitment to fiscal responsibility and a desire to eliminate what they perceive as unnecessary expenditures.
Meanwhile, the Democrats' insistence on reinstating certain budget items highlights the ongoing ideological divide in Congress.
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