Joco Today

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas appeared on Newsmax to discuss the current budget dispute in Congress and the possibility of a government shutdown. Marshall focused his comments on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, criticizing him for prioritizing political interests.

Marshall said, “Well, I think that Chuck Schumer, clearly, is choosing his political livelihood over what’s best for the country. He is answering to his base, his far left base, who are demanding that he shut this government down. Look at everything he’s done, step by step; he wanted to shut this government down.

“What his base doesn’t realize yet is that they lost the election. That elections have consequences. All we’ve asked them to do is continue funding at the levels that they chose, and instead, they want one and a half trillion dollars more. So Chuck Schumer owns this. Their demands are just simply not even worth even considering yet.”

Addressing what he described as changes in Democratic strategy, Marshall stated: “Well, again, I think Chuck Schumer is trying to save his own skin because he has AOC attacking him from his left. His base is attacking from his left as well. The left has taken over the Democrat Party. They have Trumpitis; anything to do with President Trump, they want to be against it as well.

“So, their hatred for Donald Trump is so strong they’re willing to shut down the government at the expense of the American people as well. This is really political theater at this point in time. I hope to shut down is short. I hope that we return to responsible spending as well, and that’s what our goals are, keep the government open with responsible spending.”

On whether Democrats may eventually join Republicans in passing a funding measure, Marshall commented: “I don’t know that we’re going to get to 60 yet. I think that Chuck Schumer has a drama plan, probably to keep the government shut down over the weekend and to appease his base, and suddenly he’ll see the light next week, hopefully before anybody misses their paychecks as well. But I think he wants the drama. He loves the camera. He’ll be in front of the camera all weekend, stirring things up as well. But I think that at the end of the day, the American public knows that this shutdown is resting on Chuck Schumer’s shoulders.

“Personally, I’m ready to do business. We should be talking about driving down the cost of health care instead of these Obamacare subsidies. Let’s attack the real problem, the cost of health care. We have legislation that would put price tags on what you get done at a hospital. Could you imagine that? So we can let patients become consumers again. We can work on PBM reform. There are so many good things we could be working on. And this is another week-long stall from Chuck Schumer.”

The budget impasse centers around disagreements between Senate Democrats and Republicans over spending levels and healthcare provisions.