On Day 10 of the federal government shutdown, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., delivered another rebuke of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., asserting the Democrat leader has been in Congress too long to remember what "real pain" is for "real people."
Speaking at a Friday morning press conference carried live on Newsmax, Johnson said Republicans had acted responsibly by passing what he described as a "clean, simple continuing resolution," only to have Democrats block it for partisan reasons.
"The Republicans are not playing games here," Johnson said. "We sent a very clean, simple CR ... to make sure that the American people are taken care of. But judging by their behavior right now, the Democrats don't appear to be in any rush to end this pain."
Johnson blasted Schumer as the "architect of this shutdown," citing headlines and statements from left-wing activists and media outlets as proof that Democrats were celebrating the ongoing crisis rather than working to resolve it.
He quoted Schumer as saying the shutdown "gets better for us" each day and challenged him directly: "Better for who, Chuck? For the Democrats in the Senate? So you can bow to the Marxist base and not get a challenge?"
The Louisiana Republican went on to accuse Schumer of being so consumed by politics that he has forgotten "the real pain of real people." Johnson pointed to furloughed federal workers and unpaid service members as victims of what he called a cynical power play to appease the far left.
"If you're a service member who's not getting a paycheck, it's because Chuck Schumer has to appease the Marxists," Johnson said. "Shame on you, Chuck."
Calling the standoff unprecedented, Johnson said this was "the first time in history that a party has shut down the government over a clean CR." He emphasized that the House bill was just 24 pages long and designed solely to "keep the lights on" while broader funding negotiations continued.
"What Chuck Schumer is doing right now is sickening," Johnson said. "It's sickening to hear him say it’s better for him and his party when it’s so terrible for real Americans. Millions of people are experiencing real pain because of these political games."
The speaker closed by contrasting Schumer’s long Washington tenure with the struggles of ordinary Americans:
"After 44 years in Congress, Chuck Schumer should know better. But it seems he’s spent too long in Washington to understand the real pain of real people."
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