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Thune Says More Dems Defecting, Will Back Reopening Government<\/p>\n
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said on Tuesday that at least two additional Senate Democrats are in discussions to break ranks with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and vote in favor of funding the government<\/p>\n
The partial government shutdown has now entered its second week. So far, only three Senate Democrats \u2014 John Fetterman (PA), Catherine Cortez Masto (NV), and Angus King (ME), an independent who caucuses with Democrats \u2014 have joined Republicans in supporting efforts to release federal funds. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) remains the lone Republican holdout.<\/p>\n
But Thune indicated to Fox News that more Democrats are set to join Republicans in support of a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government.<\/p>\n
The House has already approved a temporary funding measure to keep the government open through late November, but Schumer has thus far prevented most of his caucus from backing the bill. The measure requires 60 votes to advance in the Senate, meaning at least eight Democrats would need to cross party lines if Paul continues to oppose it \u2014 a move Thune suggested is increasingly likely.\u201cWell, we\u2019re only stuck as long as a handful of Democrats decide they want to follow the leader and play politics rather than do the right thing on behalf of the Am<\/p>\n
He revealed that Republicans now have 55 votes to fund the government when the motion goes to the floor for the ninth time, indicating that two additional Democrats support it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have 55 of 100 United States senators voting to reopen the government. We need five more Democrats. It takes 60 to do most things in the United States Senate, and all we need is five Democrats. But their leadership is intent on on pacifying and trying to appease this far-left base,\u201d Thune said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve got this big rally coming up next Saturday, which everybody thinks they want to get behind them before they do anything to open up the government. But it\u2019s really<\/p>\n
straightforward. I mean, this is the legislation right here; it\u2019s 24 pages long, it is clean, it is nonpartisan, it has no policy riders, no partisan gimmicks,\u201d Thune continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a straightforward way to open up the government,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Thune did not identify the two Democratic senators who are reportedly considering breaking with party leadership<\/p>\n
He and other senior Republicans have accused Schumer of deliberately extending the shutdown to coincide with a new wave of \u201cNo Kings\u201d protests set for October 18. The demonstrations, largely organized and funded by groups linked to George Soros such as Indivisible, have been promoted by Democratic leaders and sympathetic media outlets as evidence of grassroots support.<\/p>\n
The Senate is expected to hold its ninth vote later Thursday on the continuing resolution (CR) aimed at reopening the government and extending funding through late November.<\/p>\n
Schumer (D\u2013NY) is facing bipartisan backlash after he declared this week that the ongoing federal government shutdown is \u201cgetting better for us every day\u201d \u2013 meaning Democrats \u2013 prompting sharp condemnation from the White House and Republican lawmakers.<\/p>\n
The shutdown began after negotiations collapsed over Democrats\u2019 push to restore health care funding for illegal aliens, a measure Republicans have rejected as \u201creckless and unfair to taxpayers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery day gets better for us,\u201d Schumer said, according to\u00a0Punchbowl News. \u201cIt\u2019s because we\u2019ve thought about this long in advance, and we knew that health care would be the focal point on Sept. 30, and we prepared for it\u2026 Their whole theory was \u2014 threaten us, bamboozle us, and we would submit in a day or two.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChuck Schumer just said the quiet part out loud: Democrats are gleefully inflicting pain on the American people over their push to give illegal aliens free health care,\u201d White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson said in response.<\/p>\n
Senator John Kennedy\u2019s Fiery Speech Roasts \u2018The Squad\u2019 and Ignites Congressional Debate<\/p>\n
In a moment that has sent shockwaves through the halls of Congress and set social media ablaze, Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) delivered a blistering, often hilarious critique of Representative Ilhan Omar and her progressive allies, known collectively as \u201cThe Squad.\u201d Kennedy\u2019s remarks, laced with biting humor and pointed political analysis, have reignited fierce debate about patriotism, accountability, and the future direction of the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n
\u201cArguing With Fools\u201d: Kennedy\u2019s Opening Salvo<\/p>\n
Senator Kennedy wasted no time in setting the tone for his speech, deploying one of his signature Southern aphorisms: \u201cWhen you argue with a fool, you just prove there are two.\u201d With this, he made clear his stance on the group of lawmakers who have become lightning rods for controversy and division within Congress.<\/p>\n
Kennedy named names: Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley\u2014members of the self-styled \u201cSquad.\u201d \u201cI consider them to be fools,\u201d Kennedy declared. \u201cThey hate America. They think America was wicked in its origins, and it\u2019s even more wicked today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mocking the Leadership: \u201cDirections on a Shampoo Bottle\u201d<\/p>\n
Kennedy\u2019s speech was not just a condemnation; it was a masterclass in political mockery. When asked about the new leadership of the Democratic Party, he quipped, \u201cI think [AOC] is the reason there are directions on a shampoo bottle.\u201d The crowd erupted in laughter, but Kennedy\u2019s underlying message was serious: he sees the Squad as emblematic of a dangerous ideological shift within the party.<\/p>\n
He outlined his strategy for dealing with Ocasio-Cortez and her allies: \u201cOperation Let Her Speak.\u201d The implication was clear\u2014Kennedy believes the more the Squad talks, the more they expose their radical views, alienating mainstream Americans.<\/p>\n
The Squad\u2019s Response: Accusations of Racism and Islamophobia<\/p>\n
Kennedy\u2019s remarks did not go unanswered. Representative Ocasio-Cortez took to the House floor in an impassioned defense of Omar, denouncing the move to remove her from the Foreign Affairs Committee as \u201cblatantly Islamophobic and racist.\u201d She argued that the real motivation was not Omar\u2019s religion or ethnicity, but her outspoken criticism of American and Israeli policies.Omar\u2019s defenders pointed to her leadership and perspective as assets to the committee, accusing Republicans of targeting women of color. \u201cThis is about targeting women of color in the United States of America,\u201d Ocasio-Cortez said, her voice rising with emotion.<\/p>\n
The Case Against Omar: Six Controversial Statements<\/p>\n
At the heart of the controversy are six documented statements made by Omar while serving in Congress, which critics say crossed the line into anti-Semitism and anti-American rhetoric. Omar herself has apologized for some of these remarks, but opponents argue that her pattern of controversial comments makes her unfit to represent the United States on the world stage.<\/p>\n
Kennedy was blunt: \u201cIndividuals who hold such hateful views should rightly be barred from that type of committee. You can love America and criticize it, but if you hate America, why would you want to serve it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Freedom of Speech vs. Accountability<\/p>\n
Kennedy\u2019s speech touched on a theme that resonates deeply in American political discourse: the balance between freedom of speech and accountability. \u201cAmerica doesn\u2019t force anyone to stay,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re free to speak your mind, but you\u2019re also responsible for the consequences of what you say. That\u2019s the part the far-left refuses to accept.\u201d<\/p>\n
He argued that the Foreign Affairs Committee is not just another congressional seat\u2014it is a position that represents America to the world. \u201cYou can\u2019t be the face of America abroad if you spend your career calling it evil. That\u2019s not leadership. That\u2019s hypocrisy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Squad\u2019s Impact on the Democratic Party<\/p>\n
Kennedy went further, suggesting that the Squad\u2019s radicalism is destroying the Democratic Party from within. \u201cIf I didn\u2019t know better, I would think the members of the Squad were GOP plants,\u201d he joked. He listed their support for illegal immigration, socialism, higher taxes, and abortion as \u201cmoral goods,\u201d contrasting these with their opposition to America, Israel, and free enterprise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Squad has alienated moderates, mocked traditional values, and made radicalism the new normal in the left space,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cLet\u2019s be honest. When you constantly bash your own country, cozy up to anti-American narratives, and use your platform to divide people, you don\u2019t deserve to represent America abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Political Fallout: Outrage and Support<\/p>\n
The left\u2019s outrage was immediate. Ocasio-Cortez and other Squad members accused Republicans of bigotry and double standards, pointing to past controversial remarks from GOP lawmakers that were not similarly punished. Omar\u2019s defenders argued that her removal was about silencing dissent and marginalizing minority voices.<\/p>\n
But Kennedy\u2019s supporters saw his speech as a long-overdue defense of American values. \u201cSenator Kennedy just said what every American with common sense has been thinking,\u201d one commentator wrote. \u201cHe called Ilhan Omar and the Squad fools who hate America. And after watching their response, it\u2019s hard to disagree.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Broader Context: America\u2019s Identity Crisis<\/p>\n
The debate over Omar\u2019s committee assignment and Kennedy\u2019s speech is part of a larger struggle over America\u2019s identity. Is the nation fundamentally good, flawed but redeemable, or irredeemably racist and wicked, as some on the far left claim? Kennedy\u2019s speech was a forceful assertion of the first view, and a rejection of the Squad\u2019s narrative.<\/p>\n
He invoked the president\u2019s controversial tweet: \u201cIf you\u2019re not happy in America, leave.\u201d Kennedy agreed with the sentiment, though he critiqued the president\u2019s articulation of it. \u201cHis original articulation of that concept, in my opinion, fell short of the mark. But I agree with the assessment: if you\u2019re not happy living in America, leave. It\u2019s a free country.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Stakes: America\u2019s Image Abroad<\/p>\n
Kennedy emphasized that the stakes are not just political but global. \u201cThe Foreign Affairs Committee isn\u2019t just another congressional seat. It\u2019s a position that represents our country on the world stage. You can\u2019t be the face of America abroad if you spend your career calling it evil.\u201d<\/p>\n
He argued that removing Omar was not about silencing her voice, but about defending the nation\u2019s credibility. \u201cThis removal wasn\u2019t punishment. It was correction. It was Congress saying, \u2018We still have standards.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Conclusion: Drawing the Line<\/p>\n
As the dust settles, Kennedy\u2019s speech stands as a rallying cry for those who believe patriotism and accountability should guide America\u2019s leaders. \u201cFreedom of speech doesn\u2019t mean freedom from accountability,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can love America and criticize it, but if you hate America, why would you want to serve it?\u201d<\/p>\n
The controversy over Ilhan Omar and the Squad is far from over. But Kennedy\u2019s words have drawn a clear line in the sand, challenging lawmakers and citizens alike to consider what it truly means to serve\u2014and love\u2014the United States of America.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Thune Says More Dems Defecting, Will Back Reopening Government Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said on Tuesday that at least two additional Senate Democrats are in discussions to break ranks with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13906,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t