WASHINGTON—A group of Republican veterans, reservists, and guardsmen is calling out Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for putting military readiness and veteran services “at risk” during the ongoing government shutdown.
In a <a href="https://x.com/RepublicanStudy/status/1978620000886763717">letter</a> sent Wednesday, led by Republican Study Committee Chair August Pfluger (R-Texas) and 26 of his fellow committee members, they urged Schumer and Senate Democrats to pass the House-approved “clean” continuing resolution to fund the government and prevent further damage to national defense.
“By refusing to vote in favor of funding levels you and your caucus previously supported, you have made it clear to the American people that shutting down the government is justified in pursuit of your political ends, regardless of the cost to military readiness and the well-being of servicemembers and veterans,” the letter said.
The letter pointed out that President Donald Trump <a href="https://x.com/PeteHegseth/status/1977066803601031594">stepped in this week</a> and directed the Secretary of War and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to use all available funds to ensure troops were paid on October 15.
“It is unconscionable to wield their paychecks as a political weapon. Commanders are focused on helping their subordinates put food on the table, instead of focusing on defending our nation and getting our soldiers combat-ready,” the letter said.
Currently, 334,900 civilians with the Department of Defense are furloughed, the letter explained, which reportedly halts logistics, maintenance, and base operations.
The shutdown has halted advanced training and “drastically reduced readiness and lethality,” according to the letter, which noted that Reserve and Guard drill weekends could be delayed or even canceled, “directly disrupting unit cohesion and combat preparedness.”
The letter goes on to explain many other ways the military is being impacted — including Veterans Affairs.
“Every military service member and veteran deserves better. We urge you to prioritize our country&#8217;s national security and the needs of our veterans over political aims,&#8221; the letter said. &#8220;Pass a clean CR to ensure military readiness and restore veterans&#8217; benefits. Our servicemembers and veterans have sacrificed for this nation—they deserve your support, not your political games.&#8221;
Speaking to The Daily Wire’s <a href="https://rumble.com/v70cbi2-chairman-pfluger-on-michael-knowles-show-schumer-backs-free-healthcare-for-.html?e9s=src_v1_upp_a">Michael Knowles</a> this week, Pfluger said this fight was personal to him, as a reservist and veteran. Reflecting on his own experience serving on active duty during previous shutdowns, he said they “hurt readiness.&#8221;
“They hurt your ability to focus on the threat, on the missions, because now commanders are having to worry about where their troops, their young enlisted and young officers, how they&#8217;re going to put food on the table and take care of their families,” Pfluger told Knowles.
Pfluger <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/speaker-johnson-says-dems-are-wandering-in-the-wilderness-with-no-leader-and-no-platform?author=Amber+Jo+Cooper&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Speaker+Johnson+Says+Dems+Are+%E2%80%98Wandering+In+The+Wilderness%E2%80%99+With+No+Leader+And+No+Platform">previously</a> pointed to a glaring absence of Democratic leadership, asking, “Where are the veterans who served standing up to say, ‘enough is enough’?”
He pressed further by questioning why Democrats with military backgrounds, or those with family members serving, aren’t stepping forward to say the same.
“Why are we not doing the right thing? It’s because they’re caving and bowing down to this radical side that has shown that they have the aptitude for violence, that has shown that they have a desire for an anarchist mentality, and it’s really dangerous,” Pfluger said.
Pfluger also told Knowles he thinks there’s a possibility Trump “will probably have to save the day and bring people together like he&#8217;s done, and make some sort of deal.”
“But let&#8217;s make one thing clear: the prize for Democrats opening the government is not going to be ACA subsidies. We will negotiate on things like that when we get the government open, but they&#8217;re not going to hold us hostage like this and laugh at the American people &#8230;&#8221; Pfluger added.
Despite the mounting pressure from veterans and Republican lawmakers, the Senate once again <a href="https://x.com/AmberJoCooper/status/1978850922907238627">rejected</a> the continuing resolution on Thursday morning, with Democrats once again blocking the measure.
The government shutdown continues, with no indication of a resolution in the near future.

Chuck Schumer

Veterans In Congress Slam Schumer For Putting Military Combat Readiness ‘At Risk’ With Shutdown

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump on Wednesday <a href="https://x.com/AmberJoCooper/status/1978559530712887604">addressed</a> the ongoing government shutdown, calling Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer a &#8220;loser.&#8221;
&#8220;This is a Democrat Schumer shutdown and he’s trying to do it to get relevance back into the party because he’s a loser,&#8221; Trump said during an Oval Office press conference.
The president added that he has known Schumer &#8220;all his life.&#8221;
&#8220;He’s always been sort of a loser — but an intelligent one. I think he’s losing IQ points with time,” he continued.
Trump said that he hopes not to follow Schumer down this path, but added that, if it did, he’s confident the media would be quick to report it.
As of Wednesday, the government shutdown had entered its 15th day, with no indication of ending any time soon. In the afternoon, the Senate voted again to block the House-passed continuing resolution to reopen the government.
The vote was 51-44. The resolution needs 60 votes to pass.
Before the vote on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said if necessary, they would vote again on Thursday.
There is growing speculation that the shutdown may not end until after the nationwide “No Kings” protests scheduled for this Saturday.
The protest is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mike-johnson-says-dems-wont-end-shutdown-until-after-no-kings-protest-internal-docs-show-he-may-be-right?author=Amber+Jo+Cooper&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Mike+Johnson+Says+Dems+Won%E2%80%99t+End+Shutdown+Until+After+%E2%80%98No+Kings%E2%80%99+Protest.+Internal+Docs+Show+He+May+Be+Right.">reportedly</a> described as a “peaceful national day of action and mass mobilization in response to the increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump administration.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson told <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/1976625782077227332">Fox News</a> that Democrats are holding off until then, and he &#8220;can&#8217;t believe they&#8217;re actually doing this.&#8221;
&#8220;They have a Hate America rally scheduled for Oct. 18 on the National Mall. It&#8217;s all the Pro-Hamas wing, the Antifa people, they&#8217;re all coming out,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;It&#8217;s being told to us that they won&#8217;t be able to reopen the government until after that rally because they can&#8217;t face their rabid base.&#8221;

Senators Meet For Their Weekly Policy Luncheons

Trump: Schumer Is A ‘Loser’ Using The Shutdown In A Bid To ‘Get Relevance Back’

Donald Trump

Government Shutdown

John Thune

Mike Johnson

WASHINGTON—With the government shutdown showing no signs of ending, House Speaker Mike Johnson told The Daily Wire that Democrats are &#8220;wandering in the wilderness,&#8221; without a leader or policy platform.
&#8220;I think it&#8217;s the leaders of these radical leftist groups that are leading Chuck Schumer around as if he has a nose ring,&#8221; Johnson said in a Friday interview with Republican lawmakers.
“They don&#8217;t have a platform they can run on. They don’t have a policy that is palatable to the American people. They were roundly refuted, of course, in the last election, and they&#8217;re wandering in the wilderness.&#8221;
“When you don&#8217;t stand for something, you fall for anything,&#8221; Johnson added. &#8220;And that&#8217;s what you&#8217;re seeing right now.&#8221;
Johnson also said he doesn’t believe Democrats have an “identified leader,&#8221; referencing former President Donald Trump’s October 7<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnRQP628zfM" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> press conference</a>, where he claimed the party has “no leader.”
Johnson challenged Democrats to name the leader of their party, stating: “I don’t think they can — they don’t have one.”
The Speaker said he believes that the &#8220;most radical fringe voices in the party&#8221; took over during President Joe Biden’s administration, whom he described as “personally checked out.&#8221;
&#8220;I think they guided and pushed so many of the decisions of that administration, and I think they&#8217;re feeling empowered,&#8221; Johnson said.
While Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer supported a continuing resolution earlier this year in March, Johnson pointed to the Senate New York Democrat&#8217;s recent reversal.
Schumer has been objecting to the House&#8217;s resolution over healthcare provisions, with a proposal<a href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/more-lies-from-johnson-and-gop-leader-schumer-debunks-gop-lies-and-deception-amid-trump-shutdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> he said</a> &#8220;aims to reverse the Republicans’ devastating cuts to Medicaid and extend the [Affordable Care Act] tax credits.”
&#8220;The party tried to descend upon the head of Chuck Schumer in March, when he voted the right way to keep the government open, and he is no longer willing to submit to that pain, and so he&#8217;s going to inflict pain on everybody else,” Johnson said.
Johnson warned that it is “dangerous” for the American people and the country to have “the most radical fringe groups in America guiding policy for one of the two major parties.”
The Daily Wire also spoke with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who made it clear where he thinks Democratic leadership is headed.
&#8220;Mamdani is about to become the leader of the party. I mean, there&#8217;s no doubt, he is speaking for the core of the new far-left base of the Democrat party,&#8221; Scalise said.
Scalise was referencing Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist and frontrunner in the New York City mayoral race who has<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mamdanis-campaign-caught-in-foreign-donation-scandal" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> reportedly</a> faced criticism over nearly $13,000 in foreign contributions that may breach campaign finance laws.
Scalise went on to say that the power center of the party has shifted firmly to the socialist Left.
“They&#8217;re either endorsing him or quietly meeting with him, but there is not a single prominent Democrat who&#8217;s denounced the vile things he said about Israel, about [the] October 7 attacks from Hamas two years ago, any of that because they&#8217;re scared to death of him, because he&#8217;s about to be the leader of their party.&#8221;
Johnson pointed out that while some say this is great news for Republicans because they now have a &#8220;foil,&#8221; it’s still “terribly dangerous for the future of our country to have a rise of actual open Marxists now being elected to office.&#8221; Johnson also stressed that it’s “something that we’ve got to confront head on.”
Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger also pointed to a glaring absence of Democratic leadership, asking, “Where are the veterans who served standing up to say, ‘enough is enough’?”
He pressed further by questioning why Democrats with military backgrounds, or those with family members serving, aren’t stepping forward to say the same.
&#8220;Why are we not doing the right thing? It&#8217;s because they&#8217;re caving and bowing down to this radical side that has shown that they have the aptitude for violence, that has shown that they have a desire for an anarchist mentality, and it&#8217;s really dangerous,&#8221; Pfluger said.
Pfluger argued that Democrats have made a critical miscalculation regarding President Trump.
&#8220;What a contrast between what they&#8217;re doing, which is obstructing any and all prosperity and security measures that the United States can take, and here&#8217;s President Trump, who&#8217;s jumping in, and he&#8217;s closing a major and historic peace deal in the Middle East, bringing together so many different countries and solving an issue that nobody else can solve,&#8221; Pfluger said.
Despite ongoing obstruction from the “radical Left,” Pfluger said the president is relentlessly pushing forward.
He believes Democrats “miscalculated” the government shutdown because Trump “just keeps on going,” making progress on the agenda “that the American people so desperately elected him to do.”
Scalise said Republicans will continue to work to “get the facts out — whether the mainstream media covers it or not.”
“We&#8217;re going to keep fighting and glad President Trump is continuing to do his job, despite the Democrats trying every day to block everything he does,” Scalise said.
Another vote for the Senate to pass the House-passed continuing resolution to reopen the government is expected to take place Tuesday evening, around 5:30 p.m.

Mike Johnson 9/10/25

Speaker Johnson Says Dems Are ‘Wandering In The Wilderness’ With No Leader And No Platform

Steve Scalise

WASHINGTON—House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has suggested Democrats may be waiting to cave and reopen the government until after this weekend’s “No Kings” protest. Internal rally documents reviewed by The Daily Wire indicate he’s on to something.
On Saturday, demonstrators across the country will gather in what organizers <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eHp09wD0EwOecqdhpsI4DB3I5uRQi4-hkx98OyN5djE/edit?tab=t.0">describe</a> as a “peaceful national day of action and mass mobilization in response to the increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump administration.” That includes a major event outside the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Johnson suggested on <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/1976625782077227332">Fox News</a> last weekend that Democrats were holding out for the protest in order to capitalize on anti-Trump sentiment. Some could argue that Johnson’s theory sounds like a conspiracy, but documents obtained by The Daily Wire reveal the group is encouraging hosts to “lock in” speakers such as “laid-off federal workers, like National Parks rangers or veterans.”
The “<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eHp09wD0EwOecqdhpsI4DB3I5uRQi4-hkx98OyN5djE/edit?tab=t.0">NO KINGS Oct 18 Toolkit for Hosts”</a> document instructs event hosts to secure “compelling speakers to anchor the agenda” and to “aim to lock in 2-4 speakers who can talk authentically about the crisis we face.”
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-985069" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Image-10-13-25-at-11.07-AM-300x93.jpeg" alt="" width="319" height="99" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Image-10-13-25-at-11.07-AM-300x93.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Image-10-13-25-at-11.07-AM-1024x319.jpeg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Image-10-13-25-at-11.07-AM-768x239.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Image-10-13-25-at-11.07-AM.jpeg 1446w" sizes=" (max-width: 319px) 100vw, 319px" /></div>
They also encourage hosts to get speakers who “rely on Medicaid or other threatened services.”
Another sign that organizers expect to focus messaging on the shutdown is found in their “<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sRkfByipCtbFdOWu0RUMSuwjdCd_cd_SeLndHT7kpnA/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.wyigy4qhxwdo">NO KINGS Oct 18 Speaker Guidance</a>” document, which lists “Shutdown” under “Issues and Topics.”
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-985193 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Image-10-13-25-at-12.55-PM.jpeg" alt="" width="1732" height="1412" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Image-10-13-25-at-12.55-PM.jpeg 1732w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Image-10-13-25-at-12.55-PM-300x245.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Image-10-13-25-at-12.55-PM-707x576.jpeg 707w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Image-10-13-25-at-12.55-PM-768x626.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Image-10-13-25-at-12.55-PM-1536x1252.jpeg 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1732px) 100vw, 1732px" /></div>
“President Trump and his political allies hold a trifecta in D.C. This shutdown is on them. Time and time again, this president shows us that the only thing he wants is absolute power. Shutting down our government because you don’t get your way isn’t leadership — it’s a temper tantrum,” the guidance document said.
The No Kings documents make clear that there is no grassroots movement. Included in the group’s online asset package are <a href="https://brandfolder.com/indivisibleproject/nokings">flyers</a>, rally signs, printed materials to <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eHp09wD0EwOecqdhpsI4DB3I5uRQi4-hkx98OyN5djE/edit?tab=t.0">distribute</a>, a comprehensive 10-page “Song and Chant” <a href="https://kairoscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/No-Kings-June-2025_Songs-and-Chant-Sheet.pdf">document</a>, safety planning <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6810f35a92c2904fa082829a/t/68caf3afc0724a7700668381/1758131119828/250917_no-kings-safety-worksheet.pdf">instructions</a>, and various other event resources.
The group has already held multiple <a href="https://www.nokings.org/trainings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trainings</a> and is planning another session for Tuesday, October 14, aimed at messaging and “how to talk about your local No Kings movement, both to reporters and on your social media channels.”
A mobilization <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/HJewRRfp4K4">call</a> was held on September 18 — just weeks before the government shutdown on October 1.
Organizers said in a prep email that “thousands” of events are planned across the country — according to a promotional materials <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n3dQn_6w-Zm4ENZiqk8W3VWUf8qz1NnnWWX9fOIyBC0/edit?tab=t.0">document</a> — and the interactive map published shows just how widespread the effort is.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-985203 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Image-10-13-25-at-2.27-PM.jpeg" alt="" width="2142" height="834" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Image-10-13-25-at-2.27-PM.jpeg 2142w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Image-10-13-25-at-2.27-PM-300x117.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Image-10-13-25-at-2.27-PM-1024x399.jpeg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Image-10-13-25-at-2.27-PM-768x299.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Image-10-13-25-at-2.27-PM-1536x598.jpeg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Image-10-13-25-at-2.27-PM-2048x797.jpeg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2142px) 100vw, 2142px" /></div>
A “safety planning <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6810f35a92c2904fa082829a/t/68caf3afc0724a7700668381/1758131119828/250917_no-kings-safety-worksheet.pdf">worksheet</a>” reveals sign-ups for volunteers to assist with “medical support,” “press support,” and even “jail support.”
Although a core principle of the group is “a commitment to nonviolent action and no civil disobedience,” organizers are already planning and advising in case of potential arrests.
“In the event of arrests, track arrested individuals and coordinate legal assistance. Reach out to the local chapter of the National Lawyers Guild for support or the names of local lawyers willing to offer services (pro bono and other),” the document says.
The group also posted a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fka4dek_YW8">video</a> on October 7 with “tips” for attendees — including instructions to use encrypted apps, such as Signal.
They are encouraging participants to bring American flags to “reclaim this symbol” and “remind the world that the freedom we stand for is freedom for all.”
This is not the first “No Kings” rally; the group had a similar rally back in June, which brought large crowds to major cities, the New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/us/protests-cities-no-kings.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
President Donald Trump was asked about the protest in a <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1933204179742568795">clip</a> shared by the White House.
“I don’t feel like a King — I have to go through hell to get stuff approved,” the president joked. “No, no, we’re not a King. We’re not a King at all,” Trump said.
Organizers said on their <a href="https://www.nokings.org/#map">website</a> that millions of people are expected to turn out for the protests this weekend.

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-DEMONSTRATION

Mike Johnson Says Dems Won’t End Shutdown Until After ‘No Kings’ Protest. Internal Docs Show He May Be Right.

WASHINGTON—Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought confirmed Friday on <a href="https://x.com/russvought/status/1976686105199268177" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X</a> that his team has begun terminating federal employees as the government shutdown rounds out its second week.
“The RIFs have begun,” Vought said, referencing “reductions in force,” the technical term for federal government layoffs. Daily Wire’s White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan <a href="https://x.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1976699856648540196" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed</a> the reductions are “substantial.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) reacted to the news on <a href="https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/1976727561079341424" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X,</a> accusing the Trump administration of sowing “deliberate chaos.”
“Russell Vought just fired thousands of Americans with a tweet. Let’s be blunt: Nobody&#8217;s forcing Trump and Vought to do this,” Schumer wrote. “They don’t have to do it. They want to. They&#8217;re callously choosing to hurt people — the workers who protect our country, inspect our food, respond when disasters strike,” he continued.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced his intention to use a potential government shutdown to continue his administration’s efforts to reduce the size and scope of the federal government. Speaking to reporters this week, Trump said that “Because of the shutdown,” his team would be “able to take out billions and billions of dollars of waste, fraud, and abuse,” saying that Democrats “made a big mistake” by keeping the government closed.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) on Friday told reporters the White House has for 10 days “laid off doing anything in hopes that enough Senate Democrats would come to their senses and do the right thing and fund the government.”
But after another failed Senate vote Thursday night, Thune signaled the administration would take action.
“That’s what a shutdown does. You put the administration and this presidency in a position where they’re gonna have to make some hard decisions,” Thune said.
Now that federal employees are going to start to miss paychecks, “this gets real,” he said.
“I just think that the White House, my expectation is, yes, they’re going to start making some decisions about how to move money around, which agencies and departments are going to be impacted, which programs are going to be impacted, which employees are going to be impacted,” Thune said.
Not all Republicans are united behind the White House’s RIF effort.
“I strongly oppose OMB Director Russ Vought’s attempt to permanently lay off federal workers who have been furloughed due to a completely unnecessary government shutdown caused by Senator Schumer,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Friday.
“Regardless of whether federal employees have been working without pay or have been furloughed, their work is incredibly important to serving the public.”
Collins said, “Arbitrary layoffs result in a lack of sufficient personnel needed to conduct the mission of the agency and to deliver essential programs, and cause harm to families in Maine and throughout our country.”
The American Federation of Government Employees — a union that represents more than 800,000 workers in the federal government and the District of Columbia — is suing to block the Trump administration from “illegally” firing thousands of federal employees.
“Federal workers are tired of being used as pawns for the political and personal gains of the elected and unelected leaders,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said. “It’s time for Congress to do their jobs and negotiate an end to this shutdown immediately.”

Russell Vought

‘The RIFs Have Begun’: OMB Director Confirms Federal Layoffs Amid Shutdown Stalemate

layoffs

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Russ Vought

WASHINGTON—As the media attempt to drive a wedge between congressional Republicans and the White House, a senior House Republican aide tells The Daily Wire: “The attacks aren’t working.”
On Tuesday, Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/07/shutdown-republicans-disarray-00597018">proclaimed</a> that “Trump’s off-script comments cause shutdown headaches for GOP,” saying President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are “straining to project a united front against Democrats.”
Shortly after the Politico story was published, Punchbowl News reporter Andrew Desiderio <a href="https://x.com/AndrewDesiderio/status/1975962365394084279">posted on X</a> that “Schumer calls out Republicans, says they’re ‘feeling the heat’ on Obamacare subsidies and are ‘fractured’ amid shutdown fight, citing Trump going off message.”
The Democratic National Committee War Room then published an <a href="https://democrats.org/news/republicans-are-in-shambles-over-trump-shutdown-as-johnson-extends-house-gop-vacation-for-another-week/">article</a> on their website Wednesday: “Republicans Are in Shambles Over Trump Shutdown as Johnson Extends House GOP Vacation for Another Week.” The article claims that the GOP and White House are “scrambling to keep their story straight on Donald Trump’s government shutdown.”
But according to the senior aide, these attacks are falling flat.
“Congressional Republicans are aligned with the White House on message, tactics, and resolve, and attempts by the DC press to drive a wedge have failed,” they said.
Trump struck a similar note in a Thursday <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnRQP628zfM">press conference</a>, praising Johnson and Thune for their leadership.
“Both of those guys have been incredible,” Trump said, placing the blame for the continued shutdown firmly on the Democrats, who “started it” and are not keeping the government closed “like a kamikaze attack.”
“They have nothing to lose,” Trump said of Democrats. “They’ve lost the elections. They’ve lost the presidential election in a landslide,” Trump said.
In the same press conference, Trump also questioned Schumer’s ability to lead Senate Democrats.
“They have a party that’s out of control. They have no leader. Nobody knows who the leader is,” Trump said, wondering whether Schumer “has any power anymore.”
The president said he “doesn’t know who to speak to” and said he’s getting calls from Democrats he has never heard of.
“I never even heard their names before, and they&#8217;re claiming to be leader. The Democrats have no leader. They remind me of Somalia,” Trump said.
The House passed a funding bill (H.R. 5371) 11 days before the deadline, but it has yet to pass the Senate.
Democratic Senators John Fetterman (PA), Catherine Cortez Masto (NV), and Independent Angus King (ME) broke with their party to side with Republicans and vote for the funding bill.
However, the last vote on Thursday, 54-45, was still not enough to clear the 60-vote threshold.
Another source close to Senate leadership spoke on background saying Republicans are on the same page and reiterated that conversations will take place after the reopen the government.
Trump met with Republican leaders at the White House, and Johnson has repeatedly said that he talks to the president.
On Thursday morning at a press <a href="https://www.c-span.org/event/news-conference/speaker-johnson-on-day-9-of-government-shutdown/437102">conference</a>, Johnson said he spoke with the president Wednesday night.
“He called me after the peace deal was done, and he and I both lament — we all do — this terrible situation that we’re in,” Johnson said.
Johnson, Thune, and Trump have all said Democrats need to pass the continuing resolution and reopen the government. Johnson reiterated that message on Thursday.
“While we’re working to do all these positive things for the people and even settle conflicts around the world — the Democrats are playing games. It’s political theater to them. They’ve reduced Americans’ pain to a political prop,” Johnson said.
On Thursday, Punchbowl News <a href="https://punchbowl.news/article/senate/schumer-dems-momentum/">reported</a> Democrats “feel good” about their strategy, with Schumer telling the outlet, “Every day gets better for us.”
This sparked reaction from top Republicans — including Vice President JD Vance.
“Better for Schumer. Worse for Americans. What a vile sentiment from an alleged leader in our country,” Vance <a href="https://x.com/JDVance/status/1976271822535696840">wrote on X</a>.
Johnson also <a href="https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1976274928187125834">shared</a> a screenshot of the article on X and wrote, “Yesterday, Chuck Schumer — the engineer of the painful shutdown — told Punchbowl the following. Incredible.”
With both sides still standing firm in their positions, the shutdown doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon.

President-Elect Donald Trump Watches Army-Navy Football Game

‘The Attacks Aren’t Working’: Attempts By D.C. Press To Drive A Wedge In GOP Have Failed, Aides Say

WASHINGTON—Republicans are urging the IRS to prioritize revoking the tax-exempt status of eight organizations with alleged &#8220;links to designated foreign terrorist groups,&#8221; and others &#8220;linked to violence and unrest&#8221; across the nation.
The <a href="https://waysandmeans.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/10.6.25-Letter-to-IRS.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a>, from Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and IRS CEO Frank Bisignano, comes on the second anniversary of Hamas&#8217;s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
“From the international funding sources and activities of tax-exempt entities in the U.S., and the role of certain organizations in fostering antisemitism on college campuses, the Committee has remained steadfast in ensuring that all tax-exempt organizations are abiding by their exempt status,” the letter reads.
Smith referred some of the groups named in Tuesday&#8217;s letter to the IRS for revocation during the 118th Congress. In his letter, the chairman noted that shortly after the committee sent revocation letters, the Treasury Department designated Samidoun as a terrorist organization &#8220;that serves as an international fundraiser for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a Foreign Terrorist Organization.&#8221;
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However, Smith said that due to recent “political violence and the continued concerning actions by the previously referred organizations with ties to official foreign terrorist organizations,” he said it is important that the IRS takes action.
“These organizations have failed to operate for their tax exempt purpose. Tax-exempt status is a privilege, not a right, and in exchange, organizations must operate for stated exempt purposes,” Smith said.
Smith notes that the Americans for Justice in Palestine Educational Foundation, American Muslims for Palestine, and Islamic Relief USA, are “suspected of having terrorist ties to groups like Hamas,” and claims they use ties to “actively support and funnel resources in support of terrorism.”
The letter names the following organizations: Americans for Justice in Palestine Educational Foundation, American Muslims for Palestine, Islamic Relief USA, Alliance for Global Justice, WESPAC Foundation, Tides Foundation, Peoples Media Project (The Palestine Chronicle), and The People’s Forum.
It includes other groups: Alliance for Global Justice, WESPAC Foundation, and the Tides Foundation, which they say “disrupt college campuses, incite violence and intimidation, and illegal riot across the United States.”
Students for Justice in Palestine and Samidoun were cited as one of the notable projects, according to the letter.
Late last month, President Donald Trump issued a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/countering-domestic-terrorism-and-organized-political-violence/#:~:text=(j)%20The%20Commissioner%20of%20the,for%20investigation%20and%20possible%20prosecution." target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Security Presidential Memorandum</a> directing the IRS to make sure no tax-exempt entities are &#8220;directly or indirectly financing political violence or domestic terrorism.&#8221;
The letter applauded the move and said Committee Republicans are &#8220;glad that the Trump Administration is taking the threat of tax-exempt entities with ties to political violence and terrorism seriously.&#8221;
Smith encouraged the IRS to prioritize examinations and vowed to continue their oversight work on tax-exempt organizations.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

Republicans Mark Oct. 7 With Calls For IRS To Revoke Tax-Exempt Status Of Terrorist-Linked Groups

October 7

Scott Bessent

Taxes

Terrorism

WASHINGTON—As the government shutdown enters its second week, Republicans are finding new and exciting ways to pin the blame on Democrats.
At the Senate Republican member meeting on Tuesday, lawmakers watched a <a href="https://x.com/AmberJoCooper/status/1975623924944908678">video</a>, exclusively obtained by The Daily Wire, lampooning the &#8220;Schumer Shutdown.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
EXCLUSIVE: <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDailyWire</a> has obtained a video Senate Republicans watched at today’s member meeting.
The video features mariachi music, a recurring theme lately on social media, and a mash up of Senators labeling the ongoing standoff the “Schumer shutdown.”
One segment shows… <a href="https://t.co/8ctJn2jbOS">pic.twitter.com/8ctJn2jbOS</a>
— Amber Jo Cooper (@AmberJoCooper) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmberJoCooper/status/1975623924944908678?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Set to mariachi music — now the preferred soundtrack to mocking standoffish Democrats, thanks to the White House — the video opens with a clip of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D) struggling with technical difficulties during a CNN hit.
“I can’t hear,&#8221; Schumer says toward the end of the video, as the word &#8220;Sure&#8221; flashes on screen. The video is a mashup of Republicans deploying the phrase &#8220;Schumer Shutdown,&#8221; Republicans&#8217; go-to byword for the funding fight.
“While the tone of the video was lighthearted the message was not,&#8221; a source who attended the Senate GOP meeting told The Daily Wire. &#8220;The video summarized exactly where the fault for this shutdown lies, with Chuck Schumer. While pressure mounts on Senate Democrats, Republicans are feeling emboldened in our fight to reopen the government for the American people,&#8221; the source said.
Following the meeting, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke to reporters, reiterating Republicans&#8217; call for Senate Democrats to pass their continuing resolution and reopen the government.
On Monday night, the Senate held another vote on the House-passed funding bill. It failed by a vote of 52-42.
Thune said if a few more Senate Democrats vote with them, they can reopen the government.
“Every day that the Democrats keep the government shut down is creating more and worse consequences for the American people,” Thune said.
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&#8220;I think they&#8217;re under enormous pressure from their political left. I think they&#8217;re under enormous pressure from their leadership, but they&#8217;re going to have to be some brave souls who are courageous enough to come out and deliver the votes to open up the government,&#8221; Thune said. 
Johnson said Schumer &#8220;wants to play political games,&#8221; noting the House previously passed a &#8220;clean&#8221; continuing resolution.
&#8220;They have created a distraction. They&#8217;re trying to pretend this is about an end-of-the-year policy decision on healthcare — it is not,&#8221; Johnson said.
Schumer posted multiple times throughout the day on Tuesday. <a href="https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/1975601365071372654">One X post</a> said Senate Republicans &#8220;do not have the votes to pass their bill.&#8221;
&#8220;They need to come to the table and negotiate now to reopen the government and bring down healthcare costs. They’re the only ones who seem to think we can’t do both,&#8221; Schumer wrote.
He claimed Republicans are &#8220;OUTRIGHT LYING about giving undocumented immigrants health insurance through the ACA or Medicaid or Medicare.&#8221;
&#8220;NOT ONE FEDERAL DOLLAR can be spent for this. It&#8217;s already illegal. He just wants to distract from how Republicans shut the government down instead of fixing healthcare for the American people,&#8221; Schumer said.
The back and forth drags on. Another Senate vote is expected on the continuing resolution, but no schedule has been set.

Democratic Congressional Leaders Reveal Proposals To Combat Trump, DOGE “Chaos”

Watch The ‘Schumer Shutdown’ Mashup Senate Republicans Saw At Tuesday’s Member Meeting

Mariachi Music

Republicans

Schumer Shutdown

WASHINGTON—As the government shutdown rolls into the weekend, Republicans are making something very clear: this may be the &#8220;Schumer Shutdown,&#8221; but it&#8217;s a different New Yorker who&#8217;s really to blame.
It started on Wednesday, when Vice President JD Vance surprised the White House press corps at the day&#8217;s briefing.
&#8220;The reality here, and let&#8217;s be honest about the politics, is that Chuck Schumer is terrified he’s going to get a primary challenge from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,&#8221; Vance <a href="https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1973442899892191464">said.</a>
From there, it was off to the races. House Speaker Mike Johnson took the talking point and ran with it, highlighting an alleged rift between New York&#8217;s senior senator and the congresswoman from Queens in several interviews and <a href="https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1973501784909029810">on X,</a> where he proclaimed &#8220;Chuck Schumer is driving his party OFF A CLIFF because he’s TERRIFIED of AOC and the far left. That’s not leadership.&#8221;
All manner of prominent Republicans have invoked the looming Schumer-AOC contest as the reason for the shutdown, including Treasury Secretary <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/1973727982280663179">Scott Bessent,</a> Senators <a href="https://x.com/SenBillCassidy/status/1973756759904039089">Bill Cassidy</a> (LA), <a href="https://x.com/TomCottonAR/status/1973024614487056463">Tom Cotton</a> (AR), and <a href="https://www.marshall.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-marshall-chuck-schumer-is-afraid-that-aoc-will-primary-him/">Roger Marshall</a> (Kansas), as well as <a href="https://x.com/RepDonaldsPress/status/1973172460943274034">Reps. Byron Donalds (FL)</a>, and <a href="https://x.com/NancyMace/status/1973223980036501796">Nancy Mace</a> (SC).
Congressman Mike Lawler (R-NY) told The Daily Wire that the &#8220;Schumer Shutdown&#8221; has &#8220;nothing to do with policy and everything to do with politics.&#8221;
&#8220;Chuck is so consumed by the threat of a primary challenge from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that he’s willing to put his own job security ahead of the American people,&#8221; Lawler said.
He slammed Schumer for &#8220;cowardice&#8221; and said his actions only &#8220;hurt hardworking New York taxpayers.&#8221;
This is hardly the first time lawmakers have blamed the opposing party and their policies for shutting the government down. In 2013 it was Harry Reid and Obamacare; in 2017, Donald Trump and the border wall. But this time around, Republicans are going beyond blaming Democrats or even Democratic leaders. Notably absent from these conversations is House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) who has been as active on the issue as Schumer.
The attempt to drive a wedge between Schumer and AOC — whether to alienate the moderate and radical wings of the Democratic Party, or signal that there&#8217;s no daylight between them — seems to be as much about defining the post-shutdown conversation as it is about assigning blame. Like President Donald Trump, who is leveraging the shutdown to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-meeting-set-to-axe-democrat-agencies">curtail the federal government</a>, congressional Republicans seem intent on using this shutdown to their advantage.
On Friday afternoon, Senate Democrats for the fourth time <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/votes_new.htm">blocked</a> a continuing resolution that would reopen the government. Republicans&#8217; rhetorical strategy continued apace.
NRSC spokeswoman Joanna Rodriguez pointed The Daily Wire an <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/26/schumer-government-shutdown-democrats-strategy">Axios report</a> that indicates Schumer &#8220;has been plotting this government shutdown with far-Left radical activists for months.&#8221;
She said she believes Democrats&#8217; low approval ratings are &#8220;only going to keep getting worse&#8221; because Schumer and &#8220;rank-and-file Democrats&#8221; including Georgia Senator John Ossoff are &#8220;more focused on appeasing the deranged rage of their liberal base that wants illegal aliens to have free healthcare.&#8221;
&#8220;There are two very big reasons why Chuck Schumer would make a toxically-leftist policy like free healthcare for illegals as his &#8216;why&#8217; for this shutdown: crazy Democrat primary voters love it, so it could help in an AOC primary. And he is desperate to win over this radical group of openly socialist Senate candidates leading in Democrat primaries across the country that want to end Schumer’s reign as Senate Democrats’ leader if any of them win in the midterms next year,&#8221; Rodriguez said.
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) <a href="https://mariodiazbalart.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-diaz-balart-schumers-shutdown-shows-democrats-are-disarray">observed</a> that the continuing resolution, already passed by the House, is the &#8220;same clean bill Senate Democrats — including Schumer — voted for in March.&#8221;
So, what changed?
Sources with knowledge of the issue told The Daily Wire it all began after Schumer voted to fund the government until Sept. 30, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/03/13/nx-s1-5327600/house-democrats-outrage-spending#:~:text='Deep%20sense%20of%20outrage%20and%20betrayal':,Democrats%20react%20to%20Schumer%20announcement&amp;text=When%20Senate%20Minority%20Leader%20Chuck,the%20face%2C%22%20she%20said.">reportedly</a> receiving backlash from Democrats.
A month later, a <a href="https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2025/4/4/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-leads-chuck-schumer-in-hypothetical-2028-matchup-by-19-points">poll</a> showed AOC leading Schumer in a hypothetical 2028 matchup by 19 points.
“Because Schumer allowed the government to be funded several months ago, the Left wing rose up against him,&#8221; Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said on his <a href="https://x.com/tedcruz/status/1973513750926991502">podcast</a> this week. &#8220;You want to understand why we have a shutdown? It’s one thing: Schumer is looking over his left shoulder and he sees AOC running up behind him — and he is terrified he is going to lose his job,” Cruz said.
Perhaps the surest sign Republicans&#8217; strategy is working is that AOC keeps responding. On Tuesday, she told <a href="https://x.com/BreitbartNews/status/1973186304205865213">MSNBC</a> that the shutdown is &#8220;so not about me.&#8221; Two days later, she and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) — the leaders of the Democrat Party&#8217;s radical wing — released a <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5535687-sanders-ocasio-cortez-aca-subsidies-shutdown/">three-minute video</a> on the shutdown.
The next day, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-says-schumer-jeffries-are-leading-democrats-s-rcna235300">NBC</a> pressed AOC again about a possible Senate run. The congresswoman equivocated, saying “I think the answer is that people are sick of politics being determined by these horse races.&#8221;
Schumer&#8217;s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Untitled design (50)

Republicans Are Calling It The ‘Schumer Shutdown.’ Why Are They Making It All About AOC?

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Democratic Party

JD Vance

Leftism

New York

WASHINGTON—Vice President JD Vance emerged from a White House meeting with congressional leadership with a grim message.
&#8220;I think we&#8217;re heading to a shutdown, because the Democrats won&#8217;t do the right thing,&#8221; Vance said. &#8220;I hope they change their mind, but we&#8217;re going to see.&#8221;
President Donald Trump and Vance met at the White House Monday afternoon with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). Their goal — to pass a continuing resolution that will keep the government open before October 1 — seems to remain out of grasp.
The seven-week extension will allow time for the appropriations process to take place and will fund the government until November 21. The House of Representatives passed the bill on Sept. 19 by a <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5371/all-actions?overview=closed&amp;q=%7B%22roll-call-vote%22%3A%22all%22%7D">vote</a> of 217-212. The Senate, however, failed to adopt the continuing resolution by a <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00528.htm">vote</a> of 44-48. The Senate will need 60 votes in order to pass the resolution.
The leaders spoke with reporters outside the White House following the meeting, but did not indicate any sign of a deal as Republican leaders urged Senate Democrats to pass the continuing resolution which was previously passed by the House.
“We have disagreements about tax policy, but you don’t shut the government down. We have disagreements about healthcare policy, but you don’t shut the government down,&#8221; Vance said. &#8220;You don’t say the fact that you disagree about a particular tax provision is an excuse for shutting down the people’s government and all the essential services that come along with it.&#8221;
Vance said he believes the American people are &#8220;going to suffer because these guys won&#8217;t do the right thing.&#8221;
Schumer said Democrats presented proposals to the president during the meeting and said they shared with him “some of the consequences of what’s happening in health care,” such as “the closing of rural hospitals, the fact that so many clinics are closing.&#8221;
“If he will accept some of the things we asked, which we think the American people are for, on healthcare and on recessions, he can avoid a shutdown, but there are still large differences between us,&#8221; Schumer said.
Schumer cited “very large differences” between the parties and said the Republican bill has “not one iota of Democratic input.”
He said it is “up to the Republicans if they want to shut down or not.”
Republicans have <a href="https://appropriations.house.gov/news/press-releases/house-passes-hr-5371-continuing-appropriations-and-extensions-act-2026">reportedly</a> called the continuing resolution &#8220;clean and straightforward.&#8221;
Johnson said Democrats &#8220;refuse to acknowledge the simple facts,&#8221; and called the continuing resolution a &#8220;commonsense thing to do — the right thing to do.&#8221;
The Speaker said Democrats previously issued a counterproposal that included $1.5 trillion in new spending &#8220;that is unrelated to the ongoing appropriations process.&#8221;
&#8220;If the Democrats make the decision to shut the government down, the consequences are on them and I think it&#8217;s absolutely tragic,&#8221; Johnson said.
During the press conference, Thune held up a copy of the continuing resolution, and said it is sitting at the Senate desk, and can be passed Monday night or Tuesday, if Democrats acquiesce.
&#8220;Right now, they are the only thing standing between the American people and the government shutting down,&#8221; Thune said.
Thune said that similar resolutions were passed 13 times when Democrats had the majority.
&#8220;To me, this is purely a hostage-taking exercise on part of the Democrats,&#8221; Thune said. &#8220;We&#8217;re willing to sit down and work with them on some of the issues they want to talk about, whether it&#8217;s the extension of premium tax credits, with reforms, we&#8217;re happy to have that conversation. But as of right now, this is a hijacking of the American people — and it&#8217;s the American people that are going to pay the price.&#8221;
On Sept. 20, Jeffries and Schumer wrote a letter to the president, shared <a href="https://x.com/RepJeffries/status/1969426282552119312">on X</a>, in which they insisted that Democrats will “not support a dirty spending bill that continues the Republican assault on healthcare.”
Jeffries claimed the bill includes “devastating Medicaid and Medicare cuts; skyrocketing premiums, co-pays, and deductibles; the refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits,” and more.
The government is set to shut down Wednesday at 12:01 a.m. if Congress does not approve a continuing resolution.

Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu Meets With Trump At The White House

‘We’re Heading To A Shutdown’: White House Meeting With Congressional Leaders Ends In Stalemate

Hakeem Jeffries

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