Senator Schmitt on Potential Government Shutdown: Democrats Want to Grandstand, Not Govern

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) joined Fox News' Faulkner Focus to discuss the Democrats' ridiculous funding demands, reckless political posturing, and refusal to support a clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution (CR) to avoid a government shutdown.

Watch the full interview HERE

Senator Schmitt on Democrats' Ridiculous Funding Demands:

"That the Democrats have a choice. They can choose a relatively nonpartisan government funding bill that takes us to November while we continue to work on appropriations bills. That's a very reasonable thing to do and Democrats have advocated for that in the past. Or they can hold [funding] hostage for another trillion dollars' worth of spending - that is ridiculous - including funding for healthcare for illegal immigrants. That's really what they want to do. But the other thing that's important to note here, Harris, is what this is really about. It's not about the CR or the funding - which is very reasonable, and we would normally get it done - it's about the radicalization that happened on the Democrat side with their base and many members in the Senate who want to be perceived as fighting Trump as opposed to fighting for the American people. That's what this thing is all about. It's going to play out over the next two days. I hope we can find resolution here, but Chuck Schumer is afraid of his own shadow and a lot of Democrat members want to grandstand, not govern."

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"This is about Trump Derangement Syndrome. They can come to their senses and act on behalf of the American people…What they are talking about is their plan to spend an additional trillion dollars to restore all the things that we rescinded [through rescissions] - like Guatemalan sex changes and DEI in Burma. They want all that back. And they want healthcare for illegal immigrants. That's what they are fighting for. But again, they want to be perceived as the resistance more than a party that's willing to govern. This is the time where we come together, fund the government, and give us time to work on appropriations bills. The ball is in their court. Republicans are unified here. And this is something, again, that Democrats have advocated for in the past."

Senator Schmitt on a Potential Government Shutdown:

"I think the Trump administration will go out of their way - if the Democrats choose to shut down the government - to make sure essential services are provided to Americans. But there will be consequences. I'm not sure the Democrats will like that when the Trump administration gets to prioritize, again, what money goes out the door and what doesn't. This all lays at the feet of the Democrats now in the United States Senate. You will see it come into focus, The Faulkner Focus, over the next couple of days. Negotiation will be dynamic, but the truth is that the Democrats want something that's totally unreasonable and they know it. They want to be perceived as fighting Trump so the folks on MSNBC can get excited. But it's all political theater and a tragedy for the American people."

Senator Schmitt On the State of Funding Negotiations:

"Well, the negotiation is 'Hey, let's continue to work on the normal appropriations bills'. Because what the CR does is keep funding flat - what was agreed to [in March] - until we have more time to negotiate. That, typically, is a relatively bipartisan process. We're going to have our priorities because we're in the majority. But you need 60 votes. For the Democrats to do that now they are cutting short any kind of process where we'll work through the appropriations bill. [They're even] holding things like the NDAA, or National Defense Authorization Act, hostage along the way, too. There is a lot at stake here. This is relatively simple. A lot of times, honestly, things get overcomplicated in Washington - we have controversial things we deal with - but this isn't one of them. Democrats want to be perceived as the resistance to President Trump and that's what this whole thing is about."

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