10.23.25

Hoeven: American Families Pay the Price For Democrats’ Shutdown

Senator Votes Again for Clean CR to Re-Open Government, Supports Legislation to Pay Essential Federal Workers During Shutdown

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate, pressing his Democratic colleagues to re-open the federal government. The senator outlined the impacts of the shutdown on everyday Americans and federal employees, including military personnel, Border Patrol agents and air traffic controllers, among others, who continue to work without pay. Accordingly, Hoeven voted again this week for a clean, short-term continuing resolution to fund the government, as well as legislation sponsored by Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) to ensure federal workers who are deemed essential and work during a lapse in appropriations continue to receive their paychecks. Both measures were blocked by Senate Democrats.

“Today marks the 23rd day of this government shutdown, now the second longest in our nation’s history. Yet despite the mounting consequences, our colleagues across the aisle continue to block a clean, non-partisan continuing resolution, one that would simply keep the government open and allow us to continue our work on the appropriations process. To be clear, there are no Republican priorities included in this bill. It is the same kind of CR that Democrats passed 13 times under President Biden, yet now they refuse to vote for it.

“Instead, my colleagues across the aisle have chosen a different path. They’ve taken our government hostage, demanding more than a trillion dollars in new spending, just to keep the lights on and pay federal employees and our military for a few weeks. That’s not compromise. That’s coercion. And while this political stalemate drags on, American families are paying the price.

“Vital programs that hardworking families rely on, programs they’ve paid into and depend on, have been shuttered or are dangerously close to running out of money. Several states are now warning they will be forced to shut down Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits as soon as November 1st if this shutdown continues. That means millions of Americans could lose access to the assistance that helps them put food on the table…The list goes on and on.

“The bottom line is this – we need to get government open. We have offered time and again to work on any and all issues, but you do it once you get the government open. This has gone on way too long.”

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