Exclusive: Thune warns Democrats against seizing on election results to keep shutdown going

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is warning Democrats from prolonging the government shutdown after they swept key races in Virginia, New Jersey, and California on Tuesday evening.

Democrats, emboldened by Tuesday’s favorable election results, are saying they will continue to keep the government shuttered, arguing that the party’s sweep has reinforced their shutdown strategy. Thune has countered that prolonging the 36-day shutdown would be a mistake, citing the hundreds of thousands of Americans struggling from missed paychecks and growing disruptions to their daily lives due to the funding lapse.

“Continuing a government shutdown just because they had some good election outcomes seems like a really bad rationale to extend what is already the longest shutdown in history,” Thune told the Daily Caller News Foundation during a sit-down interview in his leadership office. “We can talk about politically who’s getting blamed, who isn’t getting blamed, but in the end nobody wins, and least of all the American people.”

The Democrat shutdown continues to jeopardize federal food aid for tens of millions of Americans, access to early childhood education programs, and some healthcare services while snarling air travel across the country. Government employees, from air traffic controllers to Capitol Police, are also reporting to work without pay, with some turning to second jobs and food banks to make up for lost income.

Though Democrats appeared torn on Tuesday about whether to end the record-breaking shutdown over the growing toll on American families, many members of Schumer’s caucus signaled Wednesday that the fight is just getting started.

Democrats are pushing for an extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies set to expire at the year’s end. Thune has offered to hold a vote on a subsidy extension after the government is reopened, but Democrats have repeatedly balked at that proposal, as the shutdown drags on with no immediate resolution.

“I think what people want is that the Democrats stand up and continue to fight,” independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats, told reporters on Wednesday.

“[T]he results should also give Democrats confidence that the American people have our backs as we engage in the fight to protect people’s health care and save our democracy,” Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy said in a statement following Tuesday’s election results

Schumer also signaled that he would hold the line on demanding concessions on health care in exchange for ending the shutdown.

“Last night should make it clear to Republicans that they simply cannot continue to ignore not only us, but the American people for the good of the whole country,” Schumer said Wednesday. “The takeaway from last night was unmistakable.”

Thune reiterated that Republicans’ approach to ending the shutdown following the off-year elections remains the same as it was on Day One of the funding lapse.

The majority leader has been adamant that he will not negotiate on Democratic healthcare demands, including an extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies, until Democrats vote to reopen the government.

Thune also said that he and Trump would likely not meet with top Democratic leaders until government funding is restored. Following Tuesday’s favorable election results, Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries requested a bipartisan meeting with Trump to discuss the shutdown.

“I talked to the President just moments ago and he said, ‘I’m happy to sit down with them as soon as they open the government,’” Thune told the DCNF. “The Obamacare fix is something that I think the President is willing to have a conversation with them about, but we have to get the government open first.”

Despite Democrat rallying cries to continue the shutdown, Thune voiced optimism that the shutdown could end as early as this week.

Republicans need just five additional members of the Senate Democratic caucus to cross party lines to back a clean continuing resolution to restore government funding. A trio of Democratic caucus members — Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Angus King of Maine, and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada — have repeatedly backed Republicans’ approach to end the shutdown.

“We’re not there yet,” Thune said. “I feel at least based on the conversations that we’ve had, there seems to be more of an intense interest in ending the shutdown than there was earlier, which is welcome news.”

“We’re doing what we can to work with our counterparts on the other side, here in the Senate, to get to a place where we can get 60,” Thune continued.

Andi Shae Napier contributed to this report.

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