Senator Chuck Grassley is calling on Democrats to “cut loose their members” and work toward a bipartisan funding deal to end the government shutdown. The Iowa Republican criticized Democratic leaders for prolonging the standoff while urging immediate cooperation to restore federal services and pay workers.
00:07Today is the 40th day of the government shutdown.
00:13It's been so long, a recap is in order.
00:20As I've said before, Iowans don't plan their lives around what we do here in Congress.
00:28But the Democrats' failure to support a clean, bipartisan funding bill has caused pain, suffering, and uncertainty for the American people.
00:46Let's remember, it's Democrats who caused the shutdown and got us into this mess.
00:54All but three Democrats have repeatedly voted against a clean, continuing resolution to fund government agencies and programs.
01:09Even at the Biden era levels, they won't even support funding that their Democrats have voted for and supported for the last four years prior to Trump's re-election.
01:25All we need is five more Democrats.
01:30There are not any partisan policy priorities from either side.
01:38That's why we call it a clean government funding resolution.
01:46Republicans, by supporting this continuing resolution, have sought to put partisan politics aside to keep the government open for the American people,
02:00while the appropriations committee members,
02:03while the appropriations committee members hash out full year appropriation bills under what we call regular order.
02:12Now, obviously, for the last 40 days, the taxpayers of this country and every citizen see daily demonstrated Democrats have had other plans other than just a clean funding resolution.
02:34They have not put their policy priorities to the side.
02:39They have taken the American people hostage by refusing to vote for a government funding unless it includes their partisan priorities.
02:53Top of their list is the extension of the Biden era COVID subsidy for Obamacare.
03:04Now, understand what we're talking about was instituted because we had a COVID shutdown of government and people were hurt because the government decided in early 2020,
03:19at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, that 22 million people should be put in the unemployment rolls.
03:30That's what happens when government shuts down the economy.
03:34So this is a subsidy Democrats decided to sunset at the end of this year.
03:44Now, the Democrats shut down the government to continue what was meant to be a temporary program.
03:53And something we learn from the word temporary program or temporary taxes is everybody soon decides temporary becomes permanent.
04:07These expanded subsidies that go back to the beginning of the COVID era go to big insurance companies for Americans over 400 percent of federal poverty level.
04:22Now, can you believe it?
04:27What I mean when I say over 400 percent poverty level, that could include people making over $600,000 a year.
04:37I want to make clear, this expiration is only about the expanded temporary COVID subsidies.
04:49So everybody else that depends upon the subsidy for Obamacare, I want to make very clear to them that the premium subsides for individuals and families under 400 percent of the federal poverty level that existed prior to COVID are permanent law.
05:14And those people will not be affected because that permanent law is not being changed by anything that we're debating here today.
05:24Permanent law, no change for those under 400 percent of poverty.
05:29Now, Mr. President, writing health care policy is our job, meaning the senators jobs and House of Representatives job.
05:45However, every one of us in this body knew that this deadline that we're talking about was approaching and we had already made plans to address the policy issues later in the year.
06:02Yet, as we find out now for the last 40 days, that timeline was not satisfactory to the Democrats.
06:13I've been in the elected office a long time and taking government hostage and shutting it down is always a losing proposition.
06:29It costs money to shut the government down.
06:33It costs money to open the government up.
06:37And we find out little is accomplished.
06:41In the process, government's supposed to be service to the American people.
06:47And when there's 700,000 federal employees sitting at home, probably going to be paid because they always have been paid, they can't serve the American people.
06:59And the government is not doing its job.
07:02So in my view, this shutdown was doomed from the start.
07:08But Democrats marched forward anyway, following their leaders into the mess that we now have had for the last 40 days.
07:22On day 38, now two days ago, so 38 days after government shut down,
07:30Leader Schumer came to the center floor and unveiled his big plan.
07:37On day 38, he came with the Democrats' first plan, get the American people out of this government shutdown.
07:47Now, why would he wait 38 days?
07:51Why would he wait?
07:53If you were serious about a bipartisan solution to lower the cost of health care for the American people,
08:01I don't believe you would sit idle for 38 days before making an offer?
08:08I've shared the pain the shutdown has inflicted upon Iowans, but it bears repeating.
08:18I have families calling my office asking where they can get food.
08:26Our food banks are overrun as Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away.
08:33Now, I want to give you an example that was reported by the person behind this constituent in the checkout line.
08:44One of my constituents, while grocery shopping at Walmart in Marion, Iowa,
08:50was left with no groceries for her family when she found out at the cash register that her food stamps were not on her debit card.
09:02That kind of uncertainty has real-world impacts.
09:07The realization brought this constituent to tears, it was reported to me.
09:15And why wouldn't you go into tears?
09:17Let's just take a moment to think about how you would feel coming home empty-handed from the grocery store
09:28and the stress it inflicts on families.
09:32Perhaps your kids are crying because they're hungry.
09:38Young farmers can't get their loan money from the Department of Agriculture
09:45during this government shutdown.
09:48And these young farmers are already in an ag economy that's underwater.
09:57How are they going to keep their business going?
10:00And then, I don't know what percentage the American public flies every day,
10:08but it's significant that flights are being canceled left and right
10:14because air traffic controllers aren't being paid.
10:18That means people who are trying to get to a six-family member or attend a sister's wedding may not make it on time.
10:29Law enforcement, including our own Capitol Police that we rub shoulders with every day here,
10:35are working overtime and not being paid.
10:40The entire federal workforce is not being paid.
10:44Three million people who have families and bills to pay.
10:49Now, that's just four or five examples.
10:53Unfortunately, the list could go on.
10:59I often say, Washington, D.C., right where we're standing now.
11:06This town and the people that are in it live and work in an island surrounded by reality.
11:16I've been begging Leader Schumer to give just five Democrats the go-ahead to join us in a common sense, clean funding bill.
11:28Let me remind you that Democrats voted for this same structure of a clean funding resolution at least 13 times during the four years of President Biden.
11:45So, I would ask them what's wrong with voting for a clean funding resolution during this year and during this shutdown or to prevent this shutdown.
12:00The answer is the American people elected a new president and that president is not a Democrat.
12:10Well, elections have consequences.
12:15In a Democratic Republic, the will of the people is exercised by voters and congressional leaders must respect that and live with the consequences.
12:32It's past time the Democrat leaders cut loose.
12:39They're members who want to work in a bipartisan way.
12:43Iowans at my town meetings want more bipartisanship out of Washington.
12:51They're cynical that all we do is fight and nothing ever gets done.
13:01I try to educate them on how it's not as bad as what they see on TV and senators really do want to legislate and serve the American people.
13:14So, let's roll up our sleeves, get the job done.
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