SHOTLIST:

WASHINGTON, DC, US (SEPT. 15, 2025) (ANADOLU – ACCESS ALL)

1. (SOUNDBITE) (English) US SENATE MAJORITY LEADER, JOHN THUNE, SAYING:

"We are going to give them every opportunity to vote for a clean CR, something that in the past, Senator Schumer and the Democrats have said they support. Fact is, as recently as last year about this time, he made the statement that shutdowns cause pain and needless harm and chaos for the American people. That was his exact quote about this time last year when we were considering a CR.

Interestingly enough, during the Biden presidency, when Schumer was the leader, the majority leader, there were 13 short-term CRs. 13. 96% of all Democrats voted for all 13 of those short-term CRs.

So we're suggesting right now a short-term CR to get us to November the 21st to give us time to process and consider appropriation bills, which is the way we ought to be funding the government. And it's going to take 60 votes to do that here in the United States Senate.

So I'm hoping that notwithstanding what Senator Schumer is saying, that there are Democrats out there who think it's a really bad idea, like they did last year, to shut down the government. And if in fact that's the case, hopefully they will deliver the votes that are necessary for us to keep the government open, keep the lights on, and we are going to give them an opportunity to do just that.

As you know, the House has posted their legislation. They will send it to us later this week, and we'll have an opportunity to consider it and process it over here. But it's really important, from our point of view, that we pass both the House and the Senate and the President sign a continuing resolution to fund the government until November the 21st to give us an opportunity to do appropriations bills.

Now, again, remember, that's not something that they're accustomed to doing. When Democrats have the majority around here and Chuck Schumer is running the Senate, we didn't do appropriation bills. This didn't do them. They rolled them back there in his office.

We've tried a different business model, which is to allow senators on both sides of the aisle and their committees, in this case the Appropriations Committee, to pass legislation with an amendment process, report it out to the floor, hopefully with an amendment process to enable all senators to have their voices heard on these important issues of funding our federal government. So that's where things stand today.

And again, I'm hopeful that they'll come to their senses and there'll be enough Democrats out there who consider Senator Schumer's advice, which I think he's getting from online trolls and activist groups, which he shouldn't be listening to, that they'll conclude that that's really bad advice and work with us to keep the government open, far the negotiation they have been." WASHINGTON, DC, US - SEPT. 15, 2025: US Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Tuesday, Sept. 16, urged Democrats to support a short-term funding measure, stressing that it is a “clean continuing resolution” designed to keep the US government open through Nov. 21.

"We're suggesting right now a short-term CR to get us to November the 21st to give us time to process and consider appropriation bills, which is the way we ought to be funding the government," Thune said.

Speaking to reporters at the Capitol, Thune said Democrats have repeatedly backed similar measures in the past and should do so again.

“During the Biden presidency, when Schumer was the majority leader, there were 13 short-term CRs. Ninety-six percent of Democrats voted for all 13,” he noted.

Thune argued that passing the resolution would give lawmakers the necessary time to complete appropriations bills “the right way” through committee processes.

Thune dismissed Democratic objections as politically motivated, saying, “It’s really important that we pass both the House and the Senate and the President sign a continuing resolution to fund the government until November 21st to give us an opportunity to do appropriations bills.”

His remarks came after Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries announced they would oppose the GOP measure, warning it fails to address healthcare costs and risks pushing the nation closer to a shutdown.