Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., blasted Senate Democrats for again blocking a House-passed stopgap funding measure that would have reopened the government, telling Newsmax on Friday the stalemate is prolonging what he called the "Schumer Shutdown."
"Look, we're still in a Schumer Shutdown," Rounds told "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. "And I know that's cliché, but a Schumer Shutdown is what we're dealing with right now. Members of his own team over there are saying we're not exactly sure why we're doing this. … They're getting tired of it."
Rounds said Senate Republicans have tried to show good faith by moving appropriations bills through regular order. He noted that three spending bills have already passed and three more are ready, with the goal of eventually avoiding the last-minute omnibus packages that have become common on Capitol Hill.
"John Thune has done a marvelous job of saying, we're going to get back to regular order," Rounds said, referring to the Senate majority leader from his home state.
The dispute came after Senate Democrats rejected the House's continuing resolution that would have ended the shutdown and kept the government open until Nov. 21 while longer-term spending talks continued. Democrats instead pushed their own short-term measure, which also failed to clear the 60-vote threshold.
Rounds argued Democrats are blocking the GOP-backed plan without offering workable alternatives.
"Stop the Schumer Shutdown and then we'll go back to regular order," he said, adding that Republicans are willing to negotiate, but only after Democrats agree to move forward on funding.
As the shutdown stretches on, Rounds said some Democrats might eventually break ranks.
"We're not sure that Sen. Schumer can give in at all," he said. "It may be some of the other, more reasonable members of the Senate that will simply say, look, we understand … we're going to step forward and do it anyway."
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