Columbia News

U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) spoke on Fox News’ Faulkner Focus about ongoing negotiations in Congress to avoid a potential government shutdown. He criticized Democratic lawmakers for what he described as excessive funding demands and political posturing, claiming that their refusal to support a "clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution (CR)" was putting the government's operations at risk.

Schmitt said Democrats have two options: "They can choose a relatively nonpartisan government funding bill that takes us to November while we continue to work on appropriations bills. That’s a very reasonable thing to do and Democrats have advocated for that in the past. Or they can hold [funding] hostage for another trillion dollars’ worth of spending – that is ridiculous – including funding for healthcare for illegal immigrants. That’s really what they want to do."

He further stated, "It’s not about the CR or the funding – which is very reasonable, and we would normally get it done – it’s about the radicalization that happened on the Democrat side with their base and many members in the Senate who want to be perceived as fighting Trump as opposed to fighting for the American people. That’s what this thing is all about. It’s going to play out over the next two days. I hope we can find resolution here, but Chuck Schumer is afraid of his own shadow and a lot of Democrat members want to grandstand, not govern."

Discussing what he called "Trump Derangement Syndrome," Schmitt argued, "They can come to their senses and act on behalf of the American people…What they are talking about is their plan to spend an additional trillion dollars to restore all the things that we rescinded [through rescissions] – like Guatemalan sex changes and DEI in Burma. They want all that back. And they want healthcare for illegal immigrants. That’s what they are fighting for." He added, "But again, they want to be perceived as the resistance more than a party that’s willing to govern."

On possible consequences if no agreement is reached, Schmitt said, "I think the Trump administration will go out of their way – if the Democrats choose to shut down the government – to make sure essential services are provided to Americans. But there will be consequences. I’m not sure the Democrats will like that when the Trump administration gets to prioritize, again, what money goes out the door and what doesn’t."

Schmitt concluded by addressing how negotiations typically proceed: "Well, the negotiation is ‘Hey, let’s continue to work on the normal appropriations bills’. Because what the CR does is keep funding flat – what was agreed to [in March] – until we have more time to negotiate. That, typically, is a relatively bipartisan process... For the Democrats to do that now they are cutting short any kind of process where we’ll work through the appropriations bill." He also noted concerns over holding up defense legislation such as "the NDAA, or National Defense Authorization Act," stating there was much at stake.

The debate comes amid broader discussions in Congress over federal budget priorities and efforts by both parties either seeking compromise or holding firm on policy differences.