U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R) criticized Senate Democrats on the Senate floor this week for refusing to support a clean continuing resolution to reopen the federal government. Cornyn argued that the shutdown is causing avoidable harm to hardworking Texans and Americans across the country, including federal employees working without pay and severe air travel disruptions.
"Every single time we've given the Democrats opportunities to do the right thing, only three of them have voted to reopen the government," said Cornyn. "It may not be a big deal to the wealthy Senators on the Democratic side who don't have to worry about paying the bills paycheck-to-paycheck, but it does matter to many, many Americans."
Cornyn highlighted that the effects of the shutdown extend beyond government employees, noting that three major Texas airports are seeing some of the worst delays nationwide.
"Just in terms of airline flights, we've seen hundreds canceled since the shutdown began, and thousands more have been delayed," he said.
Cornyn accused Senate Democrats of imposing unnecessary burdens, calling the situation "irrational and truly stupid." He also said that the Senate Democrats are doing this "to appease the more radical element of their political base."
Cornyn cited remarks from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to Punchbowl News, claiming that "every day gets better for us" during the shutdown, arguing that the statement shows Democrats are prioritizing politics over governance.
"I hope, given the opportunity to vote here shortly on another short-term continuing resolution, that we get five more democrats joining the three who've already voted to reopen the government," Cornyn concluded. "Every day does not get better for the American people."
