FROM FOX NEWS: Senate Republicans are worried about the precedent that Senate Democrats have set for future funding fights as the shutdown continues into its 20th day.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the Democratic caucus have dug in deep on their demand for an extension to expiring Obamacare subsidies and have worked to spin the narrative from a battle to fund the government to a fistfight for healthcare.
But it’s been over three weeks since Schumer and Democrats blocked Republicans’ first attempt to pass the House GOP’s continuing resolution (CR). And since then, there are no signs that Democrats are willing to back down from their demands.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital: “I think Schumer has basically sort of destroyed the institution of the Senate.
“He has, you know, whether it’s what he’s done on the nominees or with this shutdown. I think he’s made government unmanageable. So, hopefully, this is not the way we continue to operate.”
Reports indicate there is no indication or concession on either side of the aisle, meaning the shutdown is no closer to ending now than when it began with the first failed vote last month.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. told Fox News Digital that the Democrats don’t seem to have end goals.
“It doesn’t make sense,” he said. “If there was a strategy behind it, OK, we get out, we can figure out how to move them. But there is no strategy. It’s just like, burn it all down.”
Senate Republicans view the Democrats’ shutdown position as a hostage situation.
“We can’t negotiate with them until we come out of shutdown,” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told Fox News Digital. “You can’t hold the government hostage. And that’s why it’s very important — we’ve said we’ll work on all these different issues they want to bring up. But you can’t shut down the government, hold the government hostage as part of negotiation.”
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, told Fox News Digital That the Democrats are a bunch of “goofballs” pretending the election went differently.
“Typically, if you reward bad behavior, you get more bad behavior,” he said. “That’s what the Democrats are basically doing. They’re pretending that President Trump didn’t get elected last November. That’s basically the whole fight, because they have the goofballs that are going to be here Saturday, so they have to show the goofballs they’re fighting.”
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