Travelers are facing flight delays at airports across the country as air traffic control employees work without pay during the ongoing government shutdown.
Staff callouts caused delays at Nashville International Airport on Tuesday, while Burbank Airport in California was forced to conduct air traffic control operations in San Diego on Monday, ABC 7 Los Angeles reported. Airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Newark, and other cities have also been impacted.
“We’re seeing an uptick in controller shortages across the country,” the Department of Transportation <a href="https://x.com/USDOTRapid/status/1975732708417413196">said on X</a> Tuesday. “And where are the radical Democrats? Voting against giving our great controllers a paycheck. This is the last thing they need.”
A TSA spokesperson told The Daily Wire that travelers should have “patience” while flying during the shutdown, noting that the vast majority of TSA employees are considered “excepted or exempt” government employees who continue to work through the closure.
“While TSA is prepared to continue screening about 2.5 million passengers a day, an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports,” a spokesman wrote.
But the potential for prolonged staffing shortages raises safety concerns as well.
“Aviation is the safest mode of transportation, but to maintain that the system may need to slow down, reducing efficiency,” Airlines for America, an industry trade group, said. The group added that it wants to see lawmakers “act with urgency and in good faith” to end the shutdown impacting their industry.
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“When federal employees who manage air traffic, inspect aircraft and secure our nation’s aviation system are furloughed or working without pay, the entire industry and millions of Americans feel the strain,” the group said. “We appreciate the men and women going to work, despite not receiving a paycheck, to ensure the safety and security of the traveling and shipping public.”
Airports could become the next flashpoint if the shutdown continues, with lawmakers from both parties using delays to press their opponents into a compromise.
“The Schumer Shutdown is crippling air traffic control operations in Nashville,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) told The Daily Wire. “Democrats need to stop putting the safety of traveling Americans at risk and join Republicans in getting our government back open,” she added.
Democrats, meanwhile, insist congressional Republicans and Donald Trump are responsible for the shutdown, which is now entering its second week.
“Thanks, [Trump]! Burbank Airport has ZERO air traffic controllers from 4:15pm to 10pm today because of YOUR government shutdown,” California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X Monday.
“The Democrat Government Shutdown has real-life consequences,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told The Daily Wire. “Each day Democrats drag out their government shutdown to push free health care for illegal immigrants, it’s everyday Americans — whether they&#8217;re trying to fly or use critical government programs — who have to pay the price.”
Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said during a press conference at Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday that he was there to “advocate for the end to the shutdown,” as the union advises controllers to continue working.
“I’m gonna leave the political discussions for the politicians during this shutdown,” Daniels said.

Jet Takes Off in Washington

Americans Face Flight Delays As Government Shutdown Fuels Air Traffic Control Woes

Air Travel

Congress

Flights

Senate Democrats

Transportation

The Georgia Republican Senate primary is gaining traction on the fundraising front, bringing new attention to the race to take on incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff.
Ossoff is considered one of the most vulnerable Democratic senators in the 2026 election cycle, with the <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/senate-race-ratings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cook Political Report</a> ranking his race as a “Toss-Up.” As of June 30, the Democrat has over $15 million cash on hand, according to the <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/S8GA00180/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Federal Election Commission</a>.
Georgia Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, as well as former football coach Derek Dooley, are currently in the field on the Republican side.
Collins raised $1.9 million in Q3 and currently has $2.4 million in cash on hand, according to a press release. He announced his candidacy on July 28 and had a war chest $2.9 million overall, with just over $1 million transferred from his congressional bid.
“These fundraising numbers make clear what we have said from the beginning: we will not be outworked, we will not be outhustled, and we will win this race and put the people of Georgia back in the driver&#8217;s seat in the United States Senate,” Collins said in a press release.
Dooley raised $1.85 million in Q3, and he entered the race eight weeks ago. The Republican has $1.7 million cash on hand.
“For the past 8 weeks, we’ve hit the ground running at full speed in order to build the operation needed to win this seat back for the people of Georgia,” Dooley said in a statement.
His campaign chair, Don Leebern III, said, “there’s no question that Derek has the clear momentum in this race.”
The high fundraising totals are a strong indicator that the general election will likely shape up to be a highly expensive race on both sides.
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However, some Democrats argue that the latest numbers are an indicator of a complicated Republican primary.
“Mike Collins and Derek Dooley’s neck-in-neck fundraising reports further underscore that Georgia Republicans are in a messy, chaotic U.S. Senate primary for the long haul,” Democratic Party of Georgia Senior Communications Advisor Devon Cruz told The Daily Wire in a statement.
Ossoff was first elected in 2021 following an extremely tight runoff election between him and former Republican Sen. David Perdue. President Joe Biden narrowly won the state in November, and Trump flipped the state back to red in 2024.
“I am the number one target in the country for the Republican Party,” he said in an August <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jonossoff/videos/magas-1-target/2243036079484320/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advertisement</a>, adding that “MAGA is already spending millions of dollars to defeat me” as he’s the only Democratic senator running in 2026 in a state Trump won.
The Daily Wire reached out to Carter’s campaign for comment. The primary election is scheduled for May 2026, and a runoff would be triggered in June 2026 if no candidate receives a minimum of 50% of the vote.

Jon Ossoff

Inside The Expensive Race To Unseat A Vulnerable Democratic Senator

Georgia

Senate

If Congress does not fund the government by Monday night, it will cost millions of Americans their next full paycheck, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned on Monday.
“Millions of American federal workers are under enormous financial stress as a result, wondering how they will pay their bills and take care of their families,” Leavitt said. “If the Democrats do not vote to open the government tonight, federal workers will not receive their next full paycheck.”
More than 620,000 federal workers have <a href="https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2025/10/more-employees-set-receive-furlough-notices-shutdown-drags/408629/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">already been furloughed</a> as the government shutdown approaches its second week. More and more workers will join their ranks in the coming days unless Republicans and Democrats come to an agreement on a funding bill. That includes more than <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/another-deadline-us-shutdown-will-troops-get-paychecks-october-15-2025-10-06/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1 million active-duty troops</a> whose pay will lapse on October 15 absent an agreement.
Furloughed employees are issued letters they may present to landlords or creditors and will be issued back pay once the shutdown ends. Still, workers are already beginning to feel the strain of the shutdown, with some <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/fed-workers-stressed-financially-stretched-government-shutdown/story?id=126152597" target="_blank" rel="noopener">telling</a> ABC News they are living paycheck to paycheck.
Leavitt on Wednesday placed the blame for that financial strain firmly on Democrats, noting that just five defections would bring an end to the shutdown. That would not only protect federal workers’ pay, but also ensure federal nutrition programs for women and children operate uninterrupted.
Democrats thus far have refused to support funding bills that do not make permanent expanded Obamacare premium tax credits set to expire this year. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) took to X Friday to affirm that “Democrats will keep fighting to save health care for all Americans.”
Republicans say Schumer is keeping the government closed for fear of alienating extreme members of his party, who support the expanded tax credits because they would make it easier for illegal aliens to receive taxpayer-subsidized health benefits.
The Democrats’ “funding proposal would result in nearly $200 billion dollars spent on health care for illegal aliens and other non-citizens over the next decade,” Leavitt said Wednesday.
Republicans are pushing a “clean” funding bill, which would keep the government running without any additional provisions. The House of Representatives passed the bill on Sept. 19 by a vote of 217-212. The Senate has repeatedly failed to pass the bill, with the majority of Democrats voting to oppose.
Democratic Senators John Fetterman, (Pa.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.) have sided with Republicans.

Democrats Call On FCC Chair To Resign Over ABC’s Kimmel Decision

Americans Will Miss Paychecks If Shutdown Doesn’t End Tonight

Chuck Schumer

Karoline Leavitt

U.S. troops

Senator Cory Booker went on an eight-minute rant Thursday as the Senate considered one of President Donald Trump&#8217;s nominees to the federal bench, going so far as to accuse a colleague of violating Senate rules.
The New Jersey Democrat exploded during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nomination of Emil Bove, whom Trump tapped to serve on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. When Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) moved to bring Bove&#8217;s nomination to a full Senate vote, Booker jumped in, citing a rule he said gave senators the right to debate the nomination. Grassley called Booker to order while continuing to call for the vote to proceed.
Booker has campaigned against Bove since Trump tapped him for the position, <a href="https://x.com/SenBooker/status/1945837045496103176" target="_blank" rel="noopener">writing</a> a letter accusing Bove of hiding information related to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-epstein-story-is-kept-alive-by-pretty-bad-people-including-fake-news?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Says+Epstein+Story+Is+Kept+Alive+By+%E2%80%98Pretty+Bad+People%2C+Including+Fake+News%E2%80%99" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Epstein files</a>, which have been under heavy scrutiny recently.
In response to Grassley&#8217;s call for a vote, Booker objected, asking, &#8220;What are you afraid of even debating this? Putting things on the record, hearing from every Senator, dear God, that&#8217;s what our obligations are.&#8221;
Grassley attempted to call Booker to order, but Booker continued, his voice cracking, &#8220;You could call me out of order, because this is out of order.&#8221;
While Booker railed at Grassley, the chairman continued to call for votes for the nominations of other potential appointees.
&#8220;This is a kangaroo court,&#8221; Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) said before she stood up to leave with Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA).
&#8220;You are a good man,&#8221; Booker said. &#8220;You are a decent man. Why are you doing this? What is Donald Trump saying to you that are [sic] making you do something which is violating the decorum of this committee, the rules of this committee, the decency and the respect that we have [sic] each other to at least hear each other out?&#8221;
Democrats have argued that Bove is a controversial nominee based on past whistleblower <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/25/politics/emil-bove-confirmation-hearing-federal-judgeship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allegations</a> that, in his position as an attorney at the Department of Justice, he &#8220;stated that DOJ would need to consider telling the courts &#8216;f**k you'&#8221; and ignore orders to stop the deportation of illegal aliens.
Democrats also criticized Bove for dropping federal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams and investigating officials who worked on cases related to January 6.
Booker recognized in his speech that the committee had the right to deny his request after a vote and continued to berate Grassley&#8217;s indifference to his request.
&#8220;Sir, this is just wrong in every way,&#8221; Booker said before leaving and joining the other Democrats who had stormed out.
In a follow-up <a href="https://x.com/SenBooker/status/1945867625382228392" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on X, Booker asked, &#8220;What are Republicans afraid of? Why won&#8217;t they hear the truth about Trump&#8217;s unfit nominee, Emil Bove? Americans deserve the truth.&#8221;

Presidential Candidates Attend The California Democratic Party Organizing Convention

Dems Walk Out Of Federal Judge Nomination After Cory Booker Meltdown

Cory Booker

Courts

Donald Trump

Senator Josh Hawley joined with a Democrat colleague on Tuesday to introduce a bill that would raise the federal minimum wage to $15.
&#8220;For decades, working Americans have seen their wages flatline,” the Missouri Republican told <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/josh-hawley-raise-federal-minimum-wage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS News.</a> “One major culprit of this is the failure of the federal minimum wage to keep up with the economic reality facing hard-working Americans every day.”
Along with Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), Hawley introduced the Higher Wages for American Workers Act, which would raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour, where it’s been since 2009. The bill would also provide a tax credit for workers making under minimum wage.
&#8220;We&#8217;re in the midst of a severe affordability crisis, with families in red and blue states alike struggling to afford necessities like housing and groceries,&#8221; Hawley said. &#8220;Every hard-working American deserves a living wage that helps put a roof over their head and food on the table — $7.25 an hour doesn&#8217;t even come close.&#8221;
Hawley is the latest Republican lawmaker to challenge his party’s economic orthodoxy. But it’s unclear if Hawley’s colleagues will throw their support behind his effort. In 2021, every Republican Senator voted against a <a href="https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/nation-world/senators-vote-15-dollar-minimum-wage/507-ca50e569-4757-4bed-a13f-f687853c85c0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposal</a> to institute a $15 minimum wage. Conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation have <a href="https://www.heritage.org/jobs-and-labor/commentary/increasing-the-minimum-wage-comes-too-high-price-workers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">historically opposed</a> minimum wage hikes.
Opposition is already mounting against Hawley’s proposal.
“Sen. Hawley should know better,”<a href="https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/workforce/republican-senator-wants-more-double-federal-minimum-wage"> said</a> Rebekah Paxton, research director at the Employment Policies Institute. “This proposal would more than double the minimum wage and slash over 800,000 jobs.”
“Hawley’s proposal would take similar failed policies like California’s and export them nationwide,” Paxton <a href="https://fox59.com/news/national-world/federal-minimum-wage-would-rise-to-15-under-sen-hawley-bill/">continued</a>.
California recently raised the minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 an hour — a policy that has caused restaurants to cut staff and reduce hours, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/hospitality/california-restaurants-cut-jobs-as-fast-food-wages-set-to-rise-eb5ddaaa?mod=hp_lead_pos4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The Wall Street Journal.
At least one Senate Republican has already come out against Hawley’s proposal.
“I don&#8217;t even know why we have a &#8216;federal minimum wage&#8217; to be honest,&#8221; Sen. Kevin Cramer (ND) <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/1932443558260138493" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in an interview</a> with Fox Business today. “I think the market works really well,” he said, adding, “I just think manipulating markets with mandatory wages doesn&#8217;t make any sense.&#8221;

Senate Holds Confirmation Hearing For Amy Coney Barrett To Be Supreme Court Justice

Hawley Teams Up With Democrat On $15 Federal Minimum Wage Bill

California

Economics

Josh Hawley

Minimum Wage

Senator Cory Booker may have etched his name into the record books with the longest floor speech in Senate history — but it was former Senator Kyrsten Sinema who had the last laugh.
Sinema, who left the Democratic Party in 2022 while representing Arizona in the upper chamber, long disagreed with Democrats on the virtue of the filibuster. She argued that Democrats should not end the filibuster, because it would open the door for them to ram their agenda through, repeatedly pointing out to her colleagues that the time might come when they were not in power and needed it.
Meanwhile, Democrats — including Booker — insist that it was a &#8220;relic&#8221; of the Jim Crow era. In 2022, Booker said the filibuster &#8220;has been abused to stop reforms supported by the vast majority of Americans.&#8221;
But now, Booker and the Democrats are changing their tune, celebrating Booker for unseating the late segregationist Senator Strom Thurmond with the &#8220;LONGEST FILIBUSTER IN SENATE HISTORY!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
LONGEST FILIBUSTER IN U.S. SENATE HISTORY! 🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/CoryBooker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoryBooker</a> <a href="https://t.co/6HnUcdKhjc">pic.twitter.com/6HnUcdKhjc</a>
&mdash; Democrats (@TheDemocrats) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheDemocrats/status/1907212150503813499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Technically, Booker didn&#8217;t actually filibuster. There was no legislation under consideration for him to oppose, so, he was just giving a floor speech — a record-breaking floor speech, sure, but not a filibuster. Still, that hasn&#8217;t stopped Democrats from celebrating Booker&#8217;s &#8220;filibuster,&#8221; a far cry from their condemnations of the tool.
Sinema jabbed at her former party, saying, &#8220;Maybe it isn’t an old Jim Crow relic, after all.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Maybe it isn’t an old Jim Crow relic, after all. <a href="https://t.co/ZHsgRkMd9Q">https://t.co/ZHsgRkMd9Q</a>
&mdash; Kyrsten Sinema (@kyrstensinema) <a href="https://twitter.com/kyrstensinema/status/1907245863489110159?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Steve Guest weighed in afterward, sharing a few of Booker&#8217;s previous comments regarding the filibuster.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Booker’s receipts: <a href="https://t.co/ShQKamAFqo">pic.twitter.com/ShQKamAFqo</a>
&mdash; Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1907248236017963264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The filibuster has been abused to stop reforms supported by the vast majority of Americans — from background checks to protecting the right to vote,&#8221; Booker said in 2022. &#8220;We must stop this abuse of power.&#8221;
&#8220;We have changed the filibuster before. We must change it again to preserve the right to vote in America,&#8221; he said a week later.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kyrsten-sinema-mocks-democrats-for-change-of-heart-on-filibuster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sinema</a> had a field day weeks earlier as many in her party who had called for the filibuster to be abolished suddenly found it invaluable, now that they were the minority party.
&#8220;Just surprised to see support for the &#8216;Jim Crow filibuster&#8217; here,&#8221; she said, mocking Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who was among those who had previously called for the filibuster to be abolished.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Just surprised to see support for the “Jim Crow filibuster” here <a href="https://t.co/zohOh0E5st">https://t.co/zohOh0E5st</a> <a href="https://t.co/AWQKGHN9CG">pic.twitter.com/AWQKGHN9CG</a>
&mdash; Kyrsten Sinema (@kyrstensinema) <a href="https://twitter.com/kyrstensinema/status/1900851608394887477?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Kyrsten Sinema At State Of The Union Address

Cory Booker May Have Talked The Longest, But Kyrsten Sinema Had The Last Laugh

Filibuster

Kyrsten Sinema

Politics

U.S. Senate

MSNBC host Symone Sanders Townsend abruptly announced her departure from the Democratic Party over the weekend, shocking her cohosts as she declared that Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) — and the handful of other Senate Democrats who had voted with him to pass the Republican-led continuing resolution — &#8220;blew it.&#8221;
Townsend worked for a number of prominent Democrats and leftists prior to her stint on MSNBC, serving as press secretary for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and then as a senior adviser first to former President Joe Biden and then to former Vice President Kamala Harris — but she said that Schumer&#8217;s move to avert a government shutdown was enough to finally drive her out.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
MSNBC host Symone Sanders Townsend announces live on air she’s quitting Dem Party over Schumer siding with GOP on spending bill <a href="https://t.co/08io42AIau">https://t.co/08io42AIau</a> <a href="https://t.co/v8vua7aou3">pic.twitter.com/v8vua7aou3</a>
&mdash; New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1901632317325512794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;There’s actually little that the Senate minority leader can say, and the 10 Democrats that voted with the Republicans can say, to appease somebody like me,&#8221; she said, complaining that Schumer and the others had &#8220;folded like a paper napkin&#8221; when push came to shove.
&#8220;I’m about to change my registration to independent, first and foremost,&#8221; Townsend continued, adding, &#8220;I’m pissed.&#8221;
She did reserve some praise for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and House Democrats, who voted against the CR with only one exception — Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME). &#8220;Shout out to High King Jeffries, though, because the congressional Democrats stayed together,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;In 2024, Democrats ran on warnings that Trump was going to destroy democracy, and now that he and his team are very much in the process of doing just that, these same politicians are questioning whether or not to stand up to him and his party at one of the first opportunities they have to meaningfully do so,&#8221; Townsend said. &#8220;The only opportunity, I would add, there’s not another option for Senate or Democratic or Senate Democrats or House Democrats to effectively push back. This was it! They blew it!&#8221;
Townsend warned that Schumer had likely awakened something within the party, adding, &#8220;The Democratic Tea Party was born the same day that Chuck Schumer took to that podium to read that very well-crafted statement that told us he folded like a paper napkin.&#8221;

Black Girls Rock! 2018 – Red Carpet

MSNBC Host Rage-Quits Democratic Party On Air, Blames Chuck Schumer For Caving

Media

MSNBC

Symone Sanders

If you thought Democrats couldn&#8217;t possibly get any dumber, think again.
Somehow they have managed to achieve this signal feat. When it comes to the economy, President Trump is currently having some trouble, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down significantly since he took office.
Plus, there&#8217;s a lot of concern about the possibility of a recession in the near future in the United States, despite some pretty strong economic fundamentals. Even in the polling data, President Trump is moving the wrong way in regard to the economy.
If the economy picks up or continues to truck along, it does not mean President Trump can’t heal all of that. It just means that, because of all the volatility that has been injected into the economy and all the talk about tariffs, the news about the economy is not favorable to the president right now.
Thus, there’s a clear and obvious opening for Democrats.
And yet… 
Democrats are not only not going to take advantage of the opening, but they are also, figuratively speaking, going to shoot themselves in the foot.
As a Republican, I approve.
Through the leadership of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson — no thanks to Thomas Massie — the GOP passed a continuing resolution that will fund the government until roughly September, which gives Republicans plenty of time to negotiate a budget deal amongst themselves — to come up with the one big, beautiful bill that they need to pass — and get that done without the government simply falling apart.
That&#8217;s why the government shutdown was averted by the Republicans in the House. Now, it gets passed onto the Senate, where the GOP has a majority. Rand Paul has said he&#8217;s going to vote against the continuing resolution (CR), but there&#8217;s still 52 votes in favor. Even if it got down to 50 votes, JD Vance would then break the tie in favor of the CR.
So, if you&#8217;re a Democrat at this point, you&#8217;re looking at the state of the economy, which is somewhat dicey and volatile, because you can&#8217;t predict the future there. That is their only tool to attack President Trump. What the Democrats don&#8217;t want to do is get into the business of owning the economy. Why would you want to own that if Republicans had fallen down on the job and been unable to pass a continuing resolution? They could have blamed Republicans for the shutdown.
This was the Democratic plan in the House. It&#8217;s the reason why Hakeem Jeffries instructed Democrats not to vote in favor of the so-called clean continuing resolution, which is just a maintenance of funding at current levels all the way through September. All Democrats, except for one, did not participate in the CR.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2157-democrats-to-shut-down-the-government-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
But now the Democrats seem to want to actively kill the continuing resolution and push America into a government shutdown that they clearly will own.
That move makes no sense, politically speaking. Yesterday, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/government-shutdown-democrats-funding-deadline-bcb67826" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported, “Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer threw a wrench into a Republican plan to avert a government shutdown this weekend, saying there wasn’t enough Democratic support to advance the measure funding federal agencies through Sept. 30.”
You may be wondering, don&#8217;t Republicans actually have a majority in the Senate?
Yes, they do. But in order to overcome a filibuster, in order to invoke cloture, they need 60 votes.
Democrats could simply eschew filibustering. They could just say, “Fine, listen, you want to vote for the CR? Then vote for the CR.” Instead, Democrats are now actively considering filibustering a clean continuing resolution, which makes no political sense. Most Americans are just saying, “Leave us alone,” which is effectively what the CR does.
If Democrats want to throw a wrench into that for no apparent reason, then they will own any government shutdown. And if the economy turns south, then they own it. They own a big chunk of that because a government shutdown is going to throw all sorts of scares into the market.
The Journal continued:
<blockquote>Republicans “do not have the votes in the Senate,” to move the resolution forward, Schumer said on the Senate floor, indicating that his party was prepared to block it. He blamed Republicans, saying they “chose a partisan path” in their bill without any input from congressional Democrats.</blockquote>
It sure seems partisan to use your 47 votes in the United States Senate to hold up 53 votes in the Senate, simply because your base is mad at you for not standing up enough to President Trump&#8217;s agenda.
The Journal continued, writing, “As an alternative, Schumer floated a shorter-term plan that would fund the government for a month. ‘I hope my Republican colleagues will join us to avoid a shutdown on Friday,’ he said.”
Schumer is hoping the Republican coalition will fall apart in the meantime and that the economy will fall apart during that month. He&#8217;s hoping the stock market crashes in that interim month, and then he won&#8217;t be blamed no matter what happens.
But, again, what he&#8217;s doing right now makes no political sense. He is injecting Democrats into the middle of the most dicey proposition for the Trump administration.
I don&#8217;t understand any of the logic here. The first rule of politics is do not — do not — get in the way of your opponent making a mistake. Do not interrupt your enemy when your enemy is making a mistake. If the Democrats’ idea is that the Republicans own every aspect of the economy, then they have to let the Republicans own the economy. If they inject themselves into that process in order to shut down the government, they then own what comes next.
Republicans know this, which is why House Speaker Mike Johnson said the ball is in Schumer&#8217;s court.
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The Democrats hope that funding the CR for a short term will force the Republicans to basically negotiate with Democrats. But that is not what&#8217;s going to happen. The GOP is fully willing to allow Democrats to own a government shutdown; Schumer is going to have to own it.
If you invoke a filibuster in order to own a government shutdown, you are a moron.
And what Schumer is doing here is really stupid.
It&#8217;s virtually the best-case scenario for President Trump. Let&#8217;s say Schumer does the filibuster, and the government shutdown occurs because he did the filibuster. President Trump then has the unique capacity to determine who exactly is an essential worker under federal law. At that point, he can let Elon Musk in there with the chainsaw.
They&#8217;re playing right into Trump&#8217;s hands.

Senate Takes Up Budget Bill Passed By House As Funding Deadline Looms

Democrats Threaten To Shut Down The Government. How Dumb Are They?

Ben Shapiro

Budget

Democrats

Federal Government

Hakeem Jeffries

Mike Johnson

Opinion

President Donald Trump slammed the Democratic Party on Wednesday while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with Ireland Prime Minister Micheál Martin.
Trump took specific aim at the party over its members refusing to stand during his remarks to Congress last week when he honored young women who had been murdered by illegal aliens and a young boy who was suffering from brain cancer.
&#8220;The Democrats have no clue,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;You saw that the other night during the speech. Two young women were slaughtered by illegal aliens. One young man has very serious cancer and many other problems. We look at the people up there. They all had difficulty, very serious difficulty.&#8221;
&#8220;The whole story that evening was a disaster for the Democrats, in my opinion,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And I would mention, and I&#8217;d see two mothers that were inconsolable as they stood crying, their daughters have been absolutely just destroyed. Killed, viciously killed. And the young man who loves the police departments, he had cancer, has cancer, very bad cancer. There wasn&#8217;t a, from people sitting there, Democrats, there wasn&#8217;t a hand clap. Nobody stood. They were just stone-faced.&#8221;
Trump continued: &#8220;These people are sick. There&#8217;s something wrong with them. There was no standing for anybody.&#8221;
He said the only thing that they liked was &#8220;when they heard about the death taking place with Ukraine.&#8221;
&#8220;They were happy about that,&#8221; he said as he mentioned that was why he called out Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) during the event.
&#8220;Pocahontas was very happy,&#8221; he said of Warren. &#8220;She&#8217;s the one that was clapping. That&#8217;s why I looked at her and I said, &#8216;Oh, it&#8217;s Pocahontas.&#8217; These people are sick.&#8221;
Trump added that he believes that Democrats &#8220;don&#8217;t know what&#8217;s happening in the real world&#8221; and that they better &#8220;get their act together.&#8221;
He specifically mentioned the upcoming vote on taxes and warned that if they shoot down tax cuts, people&#8217;s taxes are going to go &#8220;through the roof.&#8221;
&#8220;You&#8217;re going to have a very bad time,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You can have some very bad things happen, and people are going to blame the Democrats.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;Democrats have NO CLUE. You saw that the other night during the speech,&#8221; says <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>.
&#8220;They don&#8217;t know what&#8217;s happening in the real world. The Democrats have to get their act together.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/vv6vkaHOGe">pic.twitter.com/vv6vkaHOGe</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1899858222204268795?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2025</a></blockquote>

President Trump Meets With Irish Prime Minister Martin For St. Patrick’s Visit

Trump Rips Democrats For Behavior During Address: ‘These People Are Sick’

Executive

House Democrats

Top Senate Democrat Jeanne Shaheen announced on Wednesday that she will not seek reelection in 2026, creating a prime pickup opportunity for Republicans in New Hampshire&#8217;s historically swing-state Senate race.
Shaheen, 78, previously served three terms as governor of New Hampshire until being elected to the Senate in 2008. The senator serves as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
&#8220;It&#8217;s important for New Hampshire and the country to have a new generation of leadership,&#8221; said Shaheen.
She will have <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/12/us/politics/jeanne-shaheen-new-hampshire-senate-2026.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&amp;referringSource=articleShare&amp;sgrp=p&amp;pvid=08E71C55-51B1-483B-B732-EC5068702A73">served</a> 30 years in elected office and spent 50 years in politics by the end of her term, per the New York Times.
New Hampshire voters have shown increasing Republican leanings in recent elections. While supporting Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race, they simultaneously elected former Senator Kelly Ayotte as governor and expanded GOP majorities in the state legislature.
Her departure sets up what will likely be one of the most competitive Senate races in 2026, in a map that experts say already favors Republicans.
Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman of the Center for Politics <a href="https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/our-initial-senate-ratings-republicans-start-as-strong-favorites-to-hold-majority/">wrote</a> in February, “Even if 2026 is an overall &#8216;blue wave&#8217; environment, expecting Democrats to win back the Senate sets the bar too high—the seats just are not there,” writing before Shaheen’s announcement.
Several prominent Republicans were already considering running for her seat before Shaheen&#8217;s announcement. Former GOP Governor Chris Sununu <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5189899-sununu-possible-senate-bid/">said</a> on Tuesday about a possible bid, &#8220;I have not ruled it out completely, but folks in Washington have asked me to think about it and to consider it, and that is just kind of where I am,&#8221; after previously dismissing speculations of a run.
Sununu <a href="https://www.politico.com/2022-election/results/new-hampshire/statewide-offices/">won</a> his 2022 gubernatorial race by more than 15 points in a Democratic wave year, leading many GOP strategists to point to him as the top candidate for 2026. Governor Ayotte and former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown are also reportedly considering entering the race.

Senate Democrats’ Medicare drug pricing presser

Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen Won’t Run In 2026, Opening Up Key Seat

2026 Midterms

New Hampshire

Even with seemingly the entire country shifting away from diversity, equity, and inclusion, the Senate Democrats are beefing up their DEI bonafides as they launch their effort to win back the upper chamber.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee – the campaign arm of Senate Democrats – recently retooled its leadership team for the 2026 election cycle. One of the top hires, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/01/24/dscc-executive-director-2026-midterms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Axios</a>, was for an operative named Jessica Knight Henry to be its chief diversity and inclusion officer.
The new hire immediately posted <a href="https://2244cf6a.streaklinks.com/CS7JN6C09HVAR8ZlkgshFXdA/https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fforms%2Fd%2Fe%2F1FAIpQLScJ-5moKTzv7pSqNuM-qSLJ4r9KON9CthFfpLwQBd2A20IocA%2Fviewform" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a resume bank</a> on LinkedIn for the 2026 election cycle asking candidates to submit optional “DEI information” to help “build diverse, strategic teams” at the DSCC. The resume bank also gives numerous gender identities for applicants to choose from, including “Woman (cis),” “Man (cis),” “Trans* woman / Transfeminine,” “Trans* man / Transmasculine,” “Non-binary,” “Prefer not to say,” and “other.”
The resume bank also asks candidates for their sexual orientation, providing options such as “Heterosexual or straight,” “Gay or lesbian,” “Bisexual,” “Pansexual,” “Asexual,” “Prefer not to say,” and “Other,” which can be left blank.
Recent polls have found that Americans have gotten tired of DEI practices. A poll from CRC Advisors provided <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-poll-finds-majority-of-voters-oppose-race-and-gender-identity-based-hiring" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exclusively</a> to The Daily Wire found that 66% of respondents opposed the idea of their company “relying on race, gender identity, and sexuality-based hiring and promotion practices?” A majority of Democrats and liberals – 54% each – also said they oppose the discriminatory practice.
A similar <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/official-polls/voters-back-trump-ending-dei-programs-poll-shows-federal-deadline-looms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poll</a> conducted by Fox News around the same time found that nearly one-third of voters said it was “extremely important” that Trump move to cut DEI initiatives.
Companies have also moved to distance themselves from the practice, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-rolls-back-dei-joining-other-major-companies-like-walmart-meta" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including Target</a>, saying it understood “the importance of staying in step with the evolving external landscape.” Target is now scaling back its pledge to invest more than $2 billion in black-owned businesses, adding more than 500 black-owned brands, and increasing the exposure of diverse brands through paid media. As part of its scaling back, Target will no longer focus on diversity when choosing suppliers, The Daily Wire reported.
Walmart, McDonald’s, Meta, and many others have also said they would be scaling back their DEI practices. Some companies, like Costco and JP Morgan Chase, publicly refused to end their racist hiring practices.
In addition to businesses, some schools have also announced they would scale back their DEI efforts, <a href="https://x.com/sfmcguire79/status/1886420818344730965?s=12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including</a> the University of Minnesota.
In one of his first acts as president, Trump signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-illegal-discrimination-and-restoring-merit-based-opportunity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> to eliminate DEI from the federal government. In response, incoming Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-agency-eliminates-all-dei-programs-after-trumps-executive-order" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that he eliminated DEI practices from his agency.
“Promoting invidious forms of discrimination runs contrary to the Communications Act and deprives Americans of their rights to fair and equal treatment under the law. It also represents a wasteful expenditure of taxpayer resources,” Carr said. “Nonetheless, the FCC joined other private and public sector institutions in promoting discriminatory DEl policies during the Biden Administration. The FCC did so by embedding DEl in its strategic priorities, budget requests, advisory groups, rulemaking proceedings, and many other components of its official work.”
The Pentagon, under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has also gutted its DEI programs from the U.S. military, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pentagon-guts-dei-programs-from-u-s-military" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEl) policies, as defined in the January 27, 2025, Executive Order, are incompatible with the values of DoD,” Hegseth wrote. “The DoD will strive to provide merit-based, color-blind, equal opportunities to Service members but will not guarantee or strive for equal outcomes.”
Democrats currently have just 47 Senators, the fewest they&#8217;ve had since 2014. To reclaim the majority in the 2026 midterms, they will have to win back control of four seats, which, given <a href="https://rollcall.com/2025/01/07/senate-vulnerable-2026-midterm-electio/">the map</a> and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dems-favorability-underwater-by-26-points-while-trump-enjoys-net-positive-rating-poll-shows">party&#8217;s unpopularity with voters</a>, will be a major lift.

Senate Dems Double Down On DEI As Rest Of Country Runs The Other Way

Senate Democrats Doubling Down On DEI As Others Move Away From Racist Ideology

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Gender Identity

U.S.

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Senate</a> Democrats blocked on Wednesday legislation that aims to protect babies born alive in botched <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/abortion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">abortions</a>.
By a <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00011.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">52-47 vote</a> along party lines, the Republican-led upper chamber failed to invoke cloture on the &#8220;Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.&#8221; A two-thirds majority was needed for consideration of the legislation to commence.
The chamber&#8217;s two newest members, Sens. Ashley Moody (R-FL) and Jon Husted (R-OH), who were appointed to replace Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, respectively, cast their first vote in favor of the bill.
&#8220;Senate Democrats just voted to block the Born-Alive Act. This isn&#8217;t complicated: babies who survive a failed abortion deserve medical care. It&#8217;s truly unbelievable that protecting these precious lives is a partisan issue. I&#8217;ll never stop fighting for the voiceless,&#8221; Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) <a href="https://x.com/SenKatieBritt/status/1882162968017961311" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post to X.
The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-gop-lawmakers-introduce-born-alive-abortion-survivors-protection-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported exclusively</a> last week that a group of lawmakers led by Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) were again introducing the bill that Republicans have tried and failed to get enacted over the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/search?q=%7B%22source%22%3A%22legislation%22%2C%22search%22%3A%22Born-Alive+Abortion+Survivors+Protection+Act%22%7D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">past few</a> sessions of Congress.
As written, the bill <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/6/text?s=1&amp;r=4&amp;q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22Born-Alive+Abortion+Survivors+Protection+Act%22%7D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seeks</a> to &#8220;prohibit a health care practitioner from failing to exercise the proper degree of care in the case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion.&#8221;
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?_gl=1*1lail3r*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3MzIyMDEyNDkuQ2owS0NRaUEwZnU1QmhEUUFSSXNBTVhVQk9JSkM0VnNsMFVreURxYXUxVWVEVWdOdjZkNzR2Y1pEeEZQeHVBcGl2R3BLaTdBMjVzT1p5TWFBdG1nRUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_au*NDUxNDQ0NzYwLjE3MzY3ODI2NDY.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczNjk1NzYwMy4zNDAuMS4xNzM2OTU3NzE2LjYwLjAuMA.." target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?_gl%3D1*1lail3r*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3MzIyMDEyNDkuQ2owS0NRaUEwZnU1QmhEUUFSSXNBTVhVQk9JSkM0VnNsMFVreURxYXUxVWVEVWdOdjZkNzR2Y1pEeEZQeHVBcGl2R3BLaTdBMjVzT1p5TWFBdG1nRUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_au*NDUxNDQ0NzYwLjE3MzY3ODI2NDY.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczNjk1NzYwMy4zNDAuMS4xNzM2OTU3NzE2LjYwLjAuMA..&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1737044212122000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3mp2MZNwEXBk00lKmCtOss">CELEBRATE #47 WITH 47% OFF DAILYWIRE+ MEMBERSHIPS + A FREE $20 GIFT</a>
The Senate Judiciary Democrats account on X <a href="https://x.com/JudiciaryDems/status/1882162704015925517" target="_blank" rel="noopener">argued</a> that Republicans were &#8220;pushing an unnecessary messaging bill today. It’s already law: any child born in America regardless of circumstance is afforded equal protection.&#8221; The account added: &#8220;The so-called &#8216;Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act&#8217; would only harm doctors and women.&#8221;
A number of Republicans begged to differ, including Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), who responded to a post from The Daily Wire&#8217;s White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan <a href="https://x.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1882164567176089824" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcing</a> that Democrats had blocked the bill.
&#8220;Republicans are NOT the radical party on the issue of life. Don&#8217;t let them put you in a corner. Democrats can&#8217;t even concede that a baby, born alive, should receive medical treatment if they survived an abortion. As the father of six, 3 of whom we adopted, this makes me sick,&#8221; Mullin <a href="https://x.com/senmullin/status/1882175129377194180?s=46" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a>.
&#8220;I am disappointed that every Senate Democrat voted against my Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, making something that should be commonsense, completely partisan for the first time,&#8221; Lankford <a href="https://x.com/SenatorLankford/status/1882168884792594588" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post to X of his own. &#8220;This bill is straightforward and would save lives. I believe every life is valuable and that no one is disposable.&#8221;

U.S. Capitol

Senate Dems Block Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act

Abortion

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