As the federal government shutdown entered its sixth day, U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) intensified their attacks on Democrats, demanding they immediately pass a “clean” stopgap spending bill and warning that the standoff is creating turmoil for the U.S. economy.
The central conflict remains Democrats’ insistence on renewing critical subsidies to cover health insurance costs for millions of households, a condition Republicans view as “hijacking” a short-term funding bill.
Republicans: ‘Nothing to Negotiate’
Appearing on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, Sen. Thune reiterated that there was “not a lot to negotiate,” and laid the blame squarely on Senate Democrats and their leader, Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), labeling the situation a “Schumer shutdown.”
“They’ll get another chance on Monday to vote again, and I’m hoping that some of them have a change of heart,” Thune said, referring to the repeated failure of a Republican-backed, nonpartisan, short-term funding resolution.
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Echoing this stance, Speaker Johnson told reporters on Monday that “there’s nothing for us to negotiate,” asserting that Republicans “did the job to keep the government open, and now it’s on the Senate Democrats.” Johnson appealed directly to moderate Democrats to “stop the madness” and pass the House-approved stopgap bill.
Thune directly urged rank-and-file Democrats to break from their leader: “This is where you need to separate from your leader and actually do the right thing for your constituents and for your country.”
Democrats Insist on Health Care Deal
Democrats, however, remain resolute. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) declared the “time is now” to work out a deal on health care.
We will note that the US House has already passed the Clean CR, and this now sits in the US Senate.
Jeffries highlighted the urgency on NBC’s “The Today Show,” noting that notices have already begun to go out to Americans enrolled in Affordable Care Act exchanges, showing dramatic increases in next year’s premiums. “That’s what people are facing right now, which is why we need to address it,” he said.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) defended the party’s position, calling the possible increase in health care costs a “crisis.” Furthermore, Schiff said Democrats need “some written assurance in the law — I won’t take a promise — that they’re not going to renege on any deal we make,” citing the Trump administration’s recent practice of halting congressionally approved spending.
Economic Turmoil and Layoff Threats
The standoff comes at a moment of “troubling economic uncertainty,” with the shutdown adding another layer of risk to an economy grappling with slowing hiring and elevated inflation.
The Trump administration has escalated the already tense situation by stating that if the shutdown continues, it plans to impose permanent job cuts on thousands of government workers—a tactic officials say has never been used before to save money from furloughs.
While White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified that the President was currently referring to furloughs (which provide retroactive pay once the government reopens), she confirmed layoffs are planned if the impasse drags on.
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Thune condemned the shutdown’s mounting impact, which includes border patrol and TSA agents not getting paid, and the suspension of crucial programs like food assistance for women and children.
The Senate Majority Leader attributed the Democrats’ strategy to external pressure from “far-left, liberal interest groups” and a political pathology he termed “blind Trump Derangement Syndrome,” stating Democrats are holding the government hostage to avoid giving the president any perceived “victory.”
With the House not expected to be in session this week, attention shifts entirely to the Senate, where a “stubborn stalemate” persists, with multiple votes on funding legislation failing to gain the necessary 60-vote threshold. Productive private negotiations remain elusive, as leaders on both sides continue to bet that public sentiment will force the opposing party to cave.
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