Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) appeared on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show” Monday to discuss the government shutdown, directly blaming Senate Democratic leadership for the impasse and outlining what he believes must happen next to address critical issues facing the American public.
Sen. Kennedy stated that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer “chose to have this shut down,” asserting that the Democrats’ demands were “unreasonable” and outside the “realm of possibility” for Republicans. He indicated that while Republicans were prepared to wait out the stoppage, he expressed gratitude toward Democrats who “finally said, ‘Look enough of this foolishness, we’re going to open government up.'”
A key point of disappointment for Sen. Kennedy in the final resolution was the failure to include a provision that would prevent senators from being paid during the shutdown.
He described the continuation of lawmaker salaries while staff and military personnel went unpaid as the “height of hypocrisy” and a failure of “shared sacrifice” and leadership.
Pivoting to the underlying policy issues often associated with budget fights, Kennedy argued that the shutdown highlighted the failures of the current healthcare system.
“If we learned anything through this intergalactic freak show shutdown, we learned that Obamacare is not working,” he said, claiming that promised lower premiums and greater accessibility had not materialized. He warned against simply extending the current situation, saying that “just extending the status quo is like putting fresh paint on rotten wood.”
Looking ahead, the Louisiana senator called for a major legislative effort to address broader affordability concerns. While noting an upcoming vote on revising Obamacare exchanges before Christmas, his longer-term solution calls for the Senate to “get up off its ice cold lazy butt and do another reconciliation bill.”
Kennedy stressed that the Senate has the authority to pass this type of legislation with only 51 votes (all Republicans), bypassing the 60-vote filibuster, and he urged its use to address:
- The cost of food
- The cost of health care
- The cost of housing
- The cost of regulation of goods and services
He concluded by urging his colleagues to “get serious” and “rise to the occasion” to pass a new reconciliation bill to tackle these economic challenges.
READ: Shutdown Shocker: House Speaker Johnson Lobs ‘Never Appropriate’ Backroom Bomb At Schumer
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