South Dakota’s congressional delegation is reacting to the government shut-down after congress failed to pass a continuing resolution which ends government funding until an agreement can be reached.
Senator Thune has been sharply critical of Democrats, accusing them of “hostage taking” in the budget negotiations. He stated:
Thune emphasized that Republicans are ready to fund the government and blamed Democrats for pushing a “laundry list” of demands driven by far-left interest groups
Senator Rounds has voiced support for Thune’s leadership, calling his role “the toughest job in Washington D.C.” He noted that Thune is working to build bipartisan consensus despite Democratic frustration with President Trump:
Rounds highlighted the challenge of securing 60 votes in the Senate while keeping the Republican caucus united.
U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) released the following statement stating
“I’ve said it thousands of times – shutdowns are stupid. The House has done its work to avoid a shutdown, and I voted to keep the government open. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats voted to shut the government down, putting the American worker’s paychecks at risk. Instead, Democrats want $1.5 trillion of new, unnecessary spending to continue COVID-era health care subsidies for illegal immigrants and rich Americans.
I will not receive a paycheck during a shutdown, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop working to find a solution. I’ve even introduced the Eliminate Shutdowns Act to prevent shutdowns from ever happening again. Shutdowns are costly and do not serve the American people.”
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