Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), typically known for his calm, measured demeanor, erupted in frustration on the Senate floor Wednesday, accusing Democrats of prolonging the government shutdown and using social welfare programs as political leverage.
Thune’s rare display of anger came during a heated exchange over legislation to temporarily fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food aid to low-income families.
Democrats, led by Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), pushed for a standalone bill to keep SNAP benefits flowing as the shutdown approached its 30th day.
Thune fired back, noting that Republicans had already voted 13 times to reopen the government, only to be blocked by Senate Democrats.
“Let me just point out, if I might, that we are 29 days into a Democrat shutdown,” Thune said, his voice rising. “SNAP recipients shouldn’t go without food. People should be getting paid in this country. And we’ve tried to do that 13 times. You voted no 13 times.”
As Democrats pressed for an immediate vote, Thune grew visibly exasperated, turning toward the Democratic side of the chamber.
“You all just figured out, 29 days in, that, oh, there might be some consequences? There are people who’ll run out of money? Yeah, we’re 29 days in,” he said, slapping the lectern for emphasis. “At some point, the government runs out of money. My aching back. You finally realize this thing has consequences.”
The exchange underscored the deepening frustration among Senate Republicans, who argue that Democrats are deliberately stalling a reopening of the government to extract concessions on unrelated spending priorities, including renewed subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.
“This isn’t a political game,” Thune said. “These are real people’s lives that we’re talking about.”
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The impasse comes as millions of SNAP recipients face the prospect of missing benefits at the end of the month.
Both parties have introduced competing bills to address the program’s funding lapse. Luján’s Democratic-backed measure focuses solely on SNAP, while Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) has proposed a broader Republican bill that includes funding for both food aid and military pay.
Thune, however, dismissed both standalone efforts as distractions from the larger issue — Democrats’ refusal to approve a continuing resolution that would reopen the government in full.
“We don’t need one-off fixes,” Thune told reporters after his floor speech.
“We need to pass a clean, bipartisan bill and get people back to work.”
Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), have insisted they will not back the GOP’s proposed continuing resolution unless it includes a long-term extension of healthcare subsidies. Republicans have accused them of holding the government “hostage” to force through a partisan health care agenda.
Behind the scenes, there are signs of movement. Thune told reporters earlier Wednesday that bipartisan talks had “ticked up significantly” and that discussions with key Democrats were “constructive.” Asked when he would personally step into negotiations, Thune replied, “It will happen pretty soon.”
Still, Thune’s eruption on the floor reflects mounting impatience within the GOP. Normally even-tempered, the senator apologized afterward for his outburst but said Democrats’ tactics had left him no choice.
“Sorry, I channeled a little bit of anger there,” he told reporters. “But it’s a high level of frustration. They realize this is a losing argument. They’re trying to buy time — and every day they delay makes things worse.”
The government shutdown, now nearing its fifth week, has furloughed hundreds of thousands of federal workers and frozen pay for millions more. Essential programs such as food assistance and housing vouchers are operating on borrowed funds.
The White House has also applied pressure, with President Donald Trump declaring earlier this week that “Schumer and Senate Democrats are holding the entire government hostage.”
“You can call it the Schumer shutdown or the Democrats’ shutdown,” Trump said during a Rose Garden event on Tuesday. “They’re doing the wrong thing, and the public knows it.”