Sen. Bill Cassidy pressed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Wednesday to "open the government right now" or, at minimum, support legislation ensuring that military members and essential federal employees continue receiving paychecks during the ongoing shutdown impasse.
Appearing on Newsmax's "Wake Up America," the Louisiana Republican warned that gridlock in Washington is harming those who serve the nation most directly.
"We know a lot of those folks serving in the military are 20 to 30 years old, and they're married and have a child," he said. "Oftentimes, those families are very paycheck to paycheck, and they are the ones front line defending our country, guided by a sense of mission."
Cassidy urged federal lawmakers not to "exploit their sense of mission," adding, "Go ahead and pay them. They are the most vulnerable to economic pressure, the pocketbook pressure."
The Louisiana senator placed the blame for the standoff squarely on Schumer and Democrat leadership.
"Chuck, open the government right now so that we can take care of them," Cassidy said.
"But, if you won't do that, at least support the bill that I am supporting that would make sure that our servicemen and women and others, like air traffic controllers, get the paycheck they need while they are on duty standing by our country."
Cassidy described the shutdown as a political maneuver driven by fear of the far-left wing of the Democratic Party.
"But what we know is that the far left has intimidated the rank-and-file Democrat, including Chuck Schumer," he said. "He's afraid of a primary from AOC [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.], and they are willing to sacrifice the well-being of the country for the intimidation they're receiving from their far-left wing."
Calling the current impasse "effectively the Schumer shutdown," Cassidy continued, "Chuck Schumer could end this today, and I guess I'm calling upon him to do that. Then we can begin to deal with the issues that, theoretically, they want to deal with."
Cassidy also discussed his separate legislative push to nominate President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Comparing the pandemic to "a biologic war," he noted that "President Trump guiding our government, using tools Congress gave, was able to start putting shots in people's arms in 10 and 11 months."
"That was remarkable," Cassidy added, crediting Trump's initiative for reopening economies and accelerating the nation's recovery.
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