WATCH: Thune Explodes On Democrats For Keeping Government Shut Down In Fiery Senate Speech

Senate Republican Leader John (R-SD) Thune delivered a blistering rebuke of Democrats on the Senate floor Monday, accusing them of prolonging the government shutdown for political gain while millions of Americans bear the brunt of Washington’s dysfunction.

In a fiery address that quickly spread online, Thune said Democrats were “perfectly willing to prolong the shutdown and the American people’s pain,” even after acknowledging the growing toll of the 34-day standoff. The South Dakota senator blasted the opposing party for voting against what he called the “only clean bill” capable of reopening the government immediately.

“Last week, it seemed that Democrats were beginning to acknowledge that their shutdown is having consequences,” Thune said. “But when they were given the chance to end all that suffering, the vast majority of Democrats in this body were perfectly willing to prolong the shutdown and the American people’s pain.”

The speech came as the shutdown — now well into its second month — continues to ripple across the nation. SNAP recipients, federal workers, and military families have all been caught in the crossfire as both parties dig in. While President Trump and congressional Republicans are calling for a straightforward continuing resolution to reopen the government before negotiating further spending and health care provisions, Democrats are insisting that any deal include long-term protections for the Affordable Care Act’s subsidies.

Thune, who has emerged as one of the GOP’s most vocal negotiators, emphasized that Republicans’ proposal carries no partisan policy riders or new conditions. He described it as a 24-page “clean continuing resolution” that would fund troops, veterans programs, and key social safety nets while buying time for broader debate.

“It would pay our troops, fund SNAP, Head Start, veterans programs, pay our staffers,” he continued. “It’s the only bill in the Senate that would fix every single issue I just mentioned. And it’s just five Democrat votes away from being sent to the President, who would sign it literally in a matter of hours.”

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Thune pointed out that several Democrats have already expressed support for a clean stopgap bill, including a House Democrat from Maine who previously argued that “none of Congress’s work will be any easier if Mainers are suffering the harms of a government shutdown.” He also cited statements from the Teamsters Union and the American Federation of Government Employees — two labor groups traditionally aligned with Democrats — both calling on Congress to reopen the government and end the “needless suffering.”

“Mr. President, it should not be this hard for a handful of Democrats to support a clean bill that simply reopens the government,” Thune said.

The stalemate has already taken a serious toll. Roughly 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP have seen their benefits threatened as contingency funds run thin. Meanwhile, chaos has hit air travel, with thousands of flights delayed or canceled amid unpaid TSA and air traffic control staff calling out sick in protest. Federal agencies have furloughed hundreds of thousands of workers, from park rangers to defense contractors, and critical programs such as Head Start have been forced to close their doors.

Thune also tied the shutdown to the broader fight over health care, criticizing Democrats for using the issue “as a political weapon” rather than pursuing solutions to lower costs.

“This bill is also the quickest way to get the discussions about health care,” he said. “If Democrats are serious about solving the Obamacare problem and not just interested in using it as a political issue, Republicans are more than willing to have that discussion.”

Thune added that if Democrats had voted to reopen the government last week, President Trump would already be meeting with them to discuss health care reforms. “Unlike Democrats who want to continue papering over the unaffordability of Obamacare forevermore, Republicans have ideas for actually lowering health care costs,” he said.

As the shutdown drags into its fifth week, frustration is boiling over both inside and outside the Capitol. With bipartisan pressure mounting and key sectors reaching breaking points, Thune’s sharp speech served as a rallying cry for Republicans — and a warning shot to Democrats that the political costs of inaction are rising fast.