Credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) declared he’s “willing to give Democrats all the things they want” in a desperate bid to end Chuck Schumer’s government shutdown, now dragging into its 37th day.
The Senate is scheduled to vote for the 15th time today on a stopgap funding bill to reopen the government. A growing bloc of Republicans, led by Thune, appear ready to cave to Democrat demands, the extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced subsidies that have ballooned government spending.
Thune has reportedly offered Democrats post-shutdown votes on ACA and tax credits in exchange for reopening negotiations.
“I’m willing to give Democrats all the things they want,” Thune admitted on Friday, according to ZeroHedge.
Even with those concessions on the table, Democrats rejected a Thursday proposal to pass a continuing resolution that included three full-year appropriations bills, covering military construction, veterans’ affairs, agriculture, and the legislative branch.
Democrats want more ironclad assurances that the GOP and President Trump will renew the pandemic-era ACA subsidies, which are set to expire in January.
During an interview with Fox News’ Dana Perino, Thune tried to frame himself as “reasonable,” insisting that Democrats simply need to “take yes for an answer.” But his own words revealed a shocking willingness to cave.
Dana Perino:
One of the things I’m wondering, Senator, are we farther away from trying to get this settled today, on Friday, than we were on Monday?
John Thune:
Dana, the Democrats just have to take “yes” for an answer. We’ve given them everything, essentially, that they were asking for—the reasonable Democrats, not the crazy ones like what you just heard. But they literally, yesterday at their Democratic caucus meeting in the Senate, had a pep rally. I mean, they are celebrating this. It’s insane.
And what’s happening is the far left, which is the tail wagging the dog, is bullying the reasonable Democrats out of coming to the table. We have a proposal that they have been reviewing and looking at now for several days, mostly with things that they asked for, including a normal appropriations process. We open up the government; they get a vote on their Obamacare fix. They want to sit down, meet with the President on a path forward—he’s more than willing to do that. All those things are in play.
But they can’t take “yes” for an answer—for fear. I mean, these people are scared spitless of their base, and that’s what’s happening. Yesterday was a bullying session. The far left in the Democrat caucus bullied the reasonable ones out of coming to the table and settling this. I’m still hoping that these people are going to come to the table, and we’ll find out soon enough.
Dana Perino:
How do you plan to do that? I think that’s what’s interesting, because Democrats, following the elections on Tuesday—as Chris Murphy was just explaining there again—they feel emboldened. They want to dig in their heels. Do you need President Trump to weigh in more here? And how would you like him to do that?
John Thune:
Well, President Trump is more than willing to weigh in and to talk to the Democrats about a path forward on how to fix the unaffordability and unsustainability problems of Obamacare—a problem the Democrats created. The President is more than willing to help them fix that, but not while the government is being held hostage.
All the President is saying is, “I’ll open up the government, then let’s sit down and talk on a path forward.” That’s been offered up. I mean, I don’t know how you can be more reasonable. This is really a handful of Democrats—all we need is five to come forward. But they, again, are being bullied by their leadership, by the far left in this country.
As a consequence of that, you’ve got troops—men and women in uniform—going without pay. You’ve got women and children who are going to be going without WIC and food stamps.
You’ve got people working in airlines and airports, as you heard Secretary Duffy say earlier, and flight delays and everything that goes with that. The pain is multiplying for the American people. And the Democrats yesterday, at their caucus meeting, Dana—they were celebrating it. It was a big pep rally. And I just don’t know how you defend that to the American people who are the ones that are suffering.
Dana Perino:
I don’t know if this is the case, but I understand that one of the possibilities is to get the government funded until January. But if we have this same problem in January, what’s going to change on Obamacare? Because those subsidies are not going to get any less expensive.
John Thune (00:03:56.10)
Right. But I think we will have a normal appropriations plan. We have a path to the bills—that’s what we’ve got right now. We’ve got a three-bill package that’s passed the Senate already. We want to attach the CR to that now, get those three bills signed into law by the President, and get to work on the rest of the appropriations process.
That’s something the Democrats have said in the past that they want to do. But now, they’re running for cover. These people—they are afraid. They are scared. And that’s the challenge we have right now in dealing with the Democrats.
But I still think there are a handful of the reasonable ones who, as we wear into the weekend here—and by the way, we’re going to give them a vote later today on paying people who are working—but if they don’t, at some point, come to the table and open up the government, the American people are going to continue to suffer. I don’t know how they can sustain this position.
Dana Perino:
Could this go into Thanksgiving?
John Thune:
No, I don’t believe so. If it does, it’s going to be up to them. But honestly, I think, like I said, there’s a path forward here. All they have to do is take “yes” for an answer. We’ve offered them a solution. The President is willing to meet with them. I’m willing to give them the vote—all the things that they said they wanted.
This has now become a function of what I would call Trump Derangement Syndrome—nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. These folks in their caucus right now—they don’t care what the issue is. If President Trump is involved with it, they just want to fight.
WATCH:
While the pain is multiplying for the American people, Senate Democrats are celebrating it.
It’s time for them to take yes for an answer and open the government. pic.twitter.com/81NF1u0A7Y
— Leader John Thune (@LeaderJohnThune) November 7, 2025
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