Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said Thursday that she will skip next month&#8217;s Michigan Democratic Party convention because she fears being harassed, adding another flashpoint to a party increasingly divided over Israel and antisemitism during a bitter U.S. Senate primary.
Speaking during a <a href="https://michiganadvance.com/2026/07/30/nessel-says-she-wont-attend-michigan-dems-convention-over-safety-concerns/">roundtable</a> discussion with Jewish leaders and community members, Nessel said she no longer feels safe attending the party&#8217;s August 29 convention in Lansing after what she described as repeated harassment.
&#8220;I feel like my presence isn&#8217;t going to be welcome. I don&#8217;t want to get chased around. I don&#8217;t want to get harassed. I don&#8217;t want to get yelled and screamed at. I don&#8217;t want to get booed off the stage, irrespective of what I&#8217;m saying,&#8221; Nessel said. &#8220;And I believe that if I go, that is what will happen because it&#8217;s been happening to me.&#8221;
Nessel also criticized Democratic Party leadership for failing to adequately respond to concerns she said she had repeatedly raised about individuals who have targeted her, warning that antisemitism on the political Left has become a growing problem within the party. 
&#8220;I will speak as a member of the Democratic Party here in Michigan, that some things have changed,&#8221; Nessel said. &#8220;This cannot continue, and the fact of the matter is, we have to be able to be a society where we can have intelligent discourse and debate about ideas without people being threatened, and certainly without people carrying out those threats.&#8221;
Her comments come as Michigan Democrats are engaged in one of the country&#8217;s most closely watched Senate primaries, with the party&#8217;s ideological divide over Israel increasingly spilling into public view.
Left-wing candidate Abdul El-Sayed has embraced some of the Democratic Party&#8217;s most vocal anti-Israel activists during the campaign, including <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hasan-piker-michigan-senate-race-abdul-el-sayed/">campaigning</a> with far-Left political streamer Hasan Piker. Third Way, a center-left think tank, <a href="https://x.com/ThirdWayTweet/status/2036484738022596671?s=20">condemned the partnership</a>, calling Piker &#8220;anti-American, anti-women, anti-western and antisemitic&#8221; and arguing he should be &#8220;pushed to the fringe, not welcomed onto the stage.&#8221; El-Sayed dismissed the criticism in an interview with <a href="https://michiganadvance.com/2026/03/25/michigans-el-sayed-unfazed-by-backlash-against-upcoming-campaign-event-with-hasan-piker/">Michigan Advance</a>, portraying it as an attack from establishment Democrats and &#8220;corporate-funded think tanks.&#8221;
Former Senate candidate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/influential-democrat-drops-out-of-primary-in-key-senate-battleground?trueLinkId=6JvjPnkjnAeCumQ6ZN%2BoGpNLJEFZ07Awl5KNTB6i2A1L44xz%2BMg08Mz8M%2BYvzzUKo9coheltLMaAYibfZ9nbDQ%3D%3D&amp;trueLinkTs=1783452774&amp;trueLinkExpiry=43200">Mallory McMorrow</a> has also acknowledged antisemitism within the Democratic Party, recounting an incident at the Democratic National Convention in which, she said, an attendee shouted an antisemitic slur at her Jewish husband while he was walking with their five-year-old daughter. 
&#8220;There is,&#8221; McMorrow <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2026/05/mcmorrow-says-dems-have-an-antisemitism-problem-during-mich-senate-debate/">replied</a> when asked whether antisemitism was a problem within the party. &#8220;That is terrifying,&#8221; she added.
El-Sayed, by contrast, argued that antisemitism and Islamophobia both stem from &#8220;the scourge of white supremacy&#8221; before pivoting to criticism of U.S. support for Israel. 
&#8220;We can walk and chew gum at the same time,&#8221; El-Sayed said. &#8220;It should not mean that we allow our money to subsidize apartheid and genocide.&#8221;
Responding to Nessel&#8217;s decision not to attend the convention, Michigan Democratic Party spokesman Derrick Honeyman said the party remains committed to ensuring the gathering is safe for all attendees. 
&#8220;We reject antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of hateful conduct,&#8221; Honeyman said. &#8220;We are working diligently with stakeholders, elected officials, and party membership to prepare for our August convention and look forward to welcoming Michigan Democrats to the Lansing Center on August 29.&#8221;

2024 Democratic National Convention TW

Jewish Democrat AG Won’t Attend Party’s Convention Due To Safety Concerns

2026 elections

2026 Midterms

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Senate Democrats

The final Democratic Senate debate before next week&#8217;s Michigan primary was overshadowed Monday night by Abdul El-Sayed&#8217;s recently leaked comments about putting the head of an &#8220;ogre&#8221; on a pike, as rival Rep. Haley Stevens argued the far-Left candidate was more interested in national political fights than representing Michigan.
The confrontation came just hours after <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/27/el-sayed-backlash-leaked-comment-michigan-senate-01012659">leaked audio</a> from a donor call thrust El-Sayed into a new controversy, giving Stevens fresh ammunition just one week before the August 4 primary. 
Stevens opened the debate by accusing El-Sayed of pursuing political celebrity rather than public service. &#8220;Abdul is running for celebrity,&#8221; Stevens said. &#8220;Republicans are propping up his campaign, and Mike Rogers just the other day said in a secret phone call that he makes it easier for him to win, that he&#8217;s the one he wants to run against.&#8221;
&#8220;Look, this isn&#8217;t about the D.C. or New York influencer crowd. This is about putting Michigan first,&#8221; she added.
Later, moderator Roop Raj confronted El-Sayed about the leaked audio, noting that many Democrats had taken offense to his comments about putting an &#8220;ogre&#8221; on a pike. &#8220;Do you regret any of the comments that you&#8217;ve made?&#8221; Raj asked. El-Sayed declined to directly apologize, instead arguing he has consistently urged civility among his supporters.
&#8220;I took to Twitter last week and said that the tone in which people talk about my opponent is unkind,&#8221; El-Sayed said. &#8220;I asked anybody who supported me to not talk about her that way.&#8221;
He then sought to clarify that the &#8220;ogre&#8221; remark was not directed at Stevens but at Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman. &#8220;I was referring to a guy named John Fetterman, who&#8217;s a senator from Pennsylvania, who has done terrible things, got elected on a set of values, and is now completely throwing those values in the mud,&#8221; El-Sayed said.
El-Sayed quickly pivoted back to one of his core campaign themes, accusing Stevens of benefiting from millions of dollars in outside spending tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). 
&#8220;When we talk about unkindness, I also just want to speak to the fact that, on behalf of my opponent, UDP — another name for AIPAC — has been running attack ad after attack ad after attack ad on my character,&#8221; El-Sayed said.
Stevens responded by using the controversy to reinforce a broader critique of her opponent, arguing that his own recorded remarks showed he was preoccupied with national political ambitions rather than Michigan.
&#8220;There was something else that was revealed in the phone call,&#8221; Stevens said. &#8220;He said that he&#8217;s not going to be able to get much done, that he&#8217;s not focused on policy for the first two years that he is in the United States Senate, that he&#8217;s going to be focused on national politics.&#8221;
Pressed again on civility, Stevens pointed to El-Sayed&#8217;s past remarks about prominent Michigan Democrats. 
 &#8220;Only he can account for saying that Whitmer is &#8216;bought and paid for,&#8217; or that &#8216;no one cares about Debbie Stabenow,&#8217; or that Mallory McMorrow &#8216;isn&#8217;t smart enough,'&#8221; Stevens said.
El-Sayed again argued the race should focus less on personalities and more on the influence of wealthy donors and special interests. 
&#8220;I told you at the outset that my opponent was going to make this race about me and her,&#8221; El-Sayed said. &#8220;But this is about you,” referring to Michigan Democratic voters.
The sharp exchange briefly gave way to one of the night&#8217;s lighter moments after El-Sayed clarified the &#8220;ogre&#8221; remark referred to Fetterman rather than Stevens.
&#8220;Thank you for clarifying that you didn&#8217;t call me an ogre,&#8221; Stevens quipped.
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Untitled design

Michigan Dems Spar At Debate Over Whether El-Sayed Called Opponent An ‘Ogre’

2026 election

American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)

campaign funds

campaigns

Debate

Debates

Democratic Debate

haley stevens

U.S. Senate

In a blistering showdown on Tuesday, War Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a reality check to Senate Democrats, demanding to know if they would rather play partisan politics than stop a rogue regime from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Facing off against Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) during a heated Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Hegseth cut through hours of budget bickering with a defense of the administration’s strategy to neutralize the Iranian threat.
Prior to the exchange with Shaheen, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) had blustered, “Let me also say we&#8217;re in a moment in history where we can win the war in Ukraine. That victory would be critically important for those people who have fought for more than four years against the odds and proven they can put Putin back on his heels. But instead of finding the money that they need now for air defenses, we&#8217;re putting more money into this exchange with Iran, a war of choice which we never should have entered.”
Shaheen later followed by ranting, “At what point do you stop asking Americans to foot the bill for a war they don&#8217;t support on top of an inflated budget request and billions in reconciliation funds that you still haven&#8217;t spent?”
Hegseth fired back, challenging the notion that somehow the war in Ukraine should supersede the war against a nuclear threat to America.
&#8220;One of the reasons I take issue with that characterization is something that Senator Durbin said when he talked about Ukraine. And he talked about winning,&#8221; Hegseth said. &#8220;And I appreciate as much as anybody winning a war. But I sit in front of a committee that wants to talk about winning a war that&#8217;s been going on for four years and talks about the strategic defeat of a conflict that&#8217;s been going on for four months to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. I would hope for some perspective in this town of the historic nature of what President Trump is undertaking. Do you want radical Islamists to have a nuclear bomb that can stare down the world?&#8221;
By putting the nuclear threat front and center, Hegseth left the committee with a stark choice: stop quibbling over spreadsheets and back the commander-in-chief, or answer to the American public when a radical regime gets its hands on the ultimate weapon.

Defense Secretary Hegseth Testifies Before Senate Appropriations Committee

Pete Hegseth Forces Dems To Answer One Simple Iran Question

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Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) made it clear on Thursday that he would not be surprised to see more damaging information come out about Maine&#8217;s Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner.
Fetterman, when asked whether he was &#8220;concerned&#8221; that Platner might be at the center of additional scandals, pointed out the fact that Platner — who assured Senate Democrats earlier in the week that there would be no additional allegations against him — had been dishonest about some of what had already been revealed.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: Senator John Fetterman slams fellow Democrat and embattled Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner following a string of damaging personal controversies.
&#8220;Well, he lied to everybody. He said that there wasn&#8217;t any after his Nazi tattoo situation, and now there&#8217;s more and more… <a href="https://t.co/bacJZN8fl8">pic.twitter.com/bacJZN8fl8</a>
— Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href="https://x.com/FoxNews/status/2062573608350744741?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Are you concerned that there&#8217;s more to drop?&#8221; one reporter asked.
&#8220;Well, he lied to everybody,&#8221; Fetterman said. &#8220;He said that there wasn&#8217;t any after his Nazi tattoo situation, and now there&#8217;s more and more other things. So he&#8217;s already lied about that.&#8221;
&#8220;So I assume, you know, it&#8217;s like they say, for every ranch you see in Texas, there&#8217;s 50 that you haven&#8217;t seen. So I&#8217;m sure there&#8217;s plenty — a lot of more ranches in P-Hustle&#8217;s life,&#8221; Fetterman added.
Platner, who went by the name &#8220;P-Hustle&#8221; on Reddit, has been the center of several scandals, ranging from his now-covered Nazi-inspired tattoo to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/platner-promises-dem-senators-there-will-be-no-new-accusations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sexually explicit</a> text messages sent to several women while he was married. He has also faced backlash for a number of comments he posted on Reddit — some of which were vulgar and at least one in which he mocked and derided a wounded combat veteran and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/didnt-deserve-to-live-leftist-candidate-appears-to-mock-wounded-soldier-in-resurfaced-post">Purple Heart recipient</a>.
The Maine Democrat, who was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-am-still-on-the-ballot-janet-mills-reappears-as-platner-stumbles">leading</a> Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) in the primary before she suspended her campaign, is set to face off against incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in November.

Sen. John Fetterman

‘He Lied To Everybody’: Fetterman Says Graham Platner Saga Isn’t Over

'He Lied to Everybody': Fetterman Says Graham Platner Saga Isn't Over

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Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner sought to reassure nervous Senate Democrats on Tuesday that no new allegations are waiting to emerge from his past, as party leaders increasingly worry that a steady stream of controversies could jeopardize one of their best opportunities to flip a Republican-held Senate seat.
During a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-am-still-on-the-ballot-janet-mills-reappears-as-platner-stumbles?author=Drew+Berkemeyer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98I+Am+Still+On+The+Ballot%E2%80%99%3A+Janet+Mills+Reappears+As+Platner+Stumbles">private meeting</a> with Democratic senators in Washington, Platner was asked directly whether additional damaging revelations were likely to surface in the coming weeks. According to reporting from <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/senators-privately-ask-platner-whether-new-allegations-will-emerge-412891de">The Wall Street Journal</a>, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), one of Platner&#8217;s earliest and most prominent supporters, pressed the candidate on whether more accusations were coming.
Platner&#8217;s answer was unequivocal. &#8220;There aren&#8217;t any,&#8221; Platner reportedly told the group.
The exchange highlighted the increasingly defensive posture surrounding Platner&#8217;s campaign as Democrats scramble to contain fallout from a series of controversies that have dominated headlines just days before Maine&#8217;s Democratic primary.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who attended the meeting alongside Sanders, reportedly followed up by drawing a distinction between marital misconduct and more serious allegations involving sexual assault. According to attendees, Platner agreed and insisted that no credible allegations of sexual assault were forthcoming.
&#8220;It&#8217;s not a secret I&#8217;ve had a messy, complicated life,&#8221; Platner told senators, according to one person familiar with the discussion. &#8220;The worst of the rumors we&#8217;ve all heard are not true.&#8221; The meeting took place at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee&#8217;s headquarters and provided an opportunity for Platner to address growing concerns among Democratic lawmakers who have watched his campaign be engulfed by one controversy after another.
Over the weekend, reports revealed that Platner had exchanged sexually explicit text messages with multiple women after marrying his wife, Amy Gertner, in 2023. While Platner has disputed portions of the reporting, his campaign has acknowledged that the messages themselves were real.
The revelations added to a growing list of politically damaging stories that have followed the first-time candidate throughout the race. Earlier this year, Platner faced scrutiny over a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol that he later covered up. Old social media posts and Reddit comments resurfaced showing him making inflammatory remarks, including comments praising aspects of fascism and insulting American service members.
More recently, it was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/see-it-graham-platner-has-active-profile-on-predators-paradise-messaging-app">revealed</a> that Platner maintained an account on Kik, a messaging platform frequently criticized by child-safety advocates and law enforcement officials because of its association with sexual exploitation cases. Despite the mounting controversies, many Democrats appear determined to stick with Platner because of the political stakes involved.
Maine remains one of the few Republican-held Senate seats Democrats view as a realistic pickup opportunity in 2026. With Republicans holding a narrow Senate majority, party strategists see defeating incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) as critical to any path back to control of the chamber.
That reality has created an uncomfortable dynamic for many Democrats who have expressed concerns about Platner&#8217;s personal conduct while simultaneously concluding that abandoning him would damage the party&#8217;s chances in November.
Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), who attended Tuesday&#8217;s meeting, acknowledged lingering uncertainty afterward. &#8220;I have no idea&#8221; whether more revelations could emerge, Welch told reporters. He added that Platner had been &#8220;very explicit&#8221; in accepting voters&#8217; right to ask questions about his personal life.
Others emerged from the meeting more confident. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t go in needing assurance and I left feeling confident,&#8221; Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) said afterward, describing herself as &#8220;excited&#8221; about Platner&#8217;s candidacy. The meetings extended beyond Senate Democrats. Platner also met privately with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who had previously backed Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills before she suspended her campaign in April.
The timing of the reassurance campaign is notable. Just one day earlier, Mills reminded voters that she technically remains on the ballot despite ending active campaigning months ago. &#8220;People have the impression that I withdrew or dropped out,&#8221; Mills said Monday. &#8220;I simply suspended active campaigning.&#8221; While Mills has shown no indication she plans to restart her campaign, her comments underscored the anxiety surrounding Platner&#8217;s candidacy and the search by some Democrats for alternatives.
For now, however, Democratic leaders appear to be rallying behind their embattled nominee-in-waiting. Whether Platner&#8217;s promise that no additional accusations are coming proves accurate may determine not only the future of his campaign, but also Democrats&#8217; chances of reclaiming a Senate seat they view as one of their most important targets of the 2026 cycle.

Democratic Senate Candidate For Maine Graham Platner Campaigns Around The State

Platner Promises Dem Senators There Will Be No New Accusations

Maine Democrats

After uncovering a billion-dollar fraud scheme in Ohio, Daily Wire reporter Luke Rosiak testified on Capitol Hill this week, expecting bipartisan concern, but Democrats didn’t offer it. 
Rosiak testified before the Senate Small Business Committee on Wednesday during a hearing dominated by Republican lawmakers. The only Democrat in attendance was Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), whose presence was required as the minority ranking member. 
Rosiak later quipped, “The hearing room may as well have been a learing center with the number of Democrats who showed up today,” referencing a misspelled sign outside a suspected fraudulent daycare in Minnesota. 
In his opening statement, Markey argued that the Trump administration’s recent anti-fraud initiatives have disproportionately targeted blue states, completely ignoring the fact that Rosiak just uncovered $1 billion in alleged Medicaid fraud in a red state. Markey declined to question Rosiak or any of the Republican witnesses, instead focusing his remarks on criticizing President Donald Trump.
“I agree we should be doing more to prevent fraud,” said Markey. “But we should also be focusing on the Trump-sized hole in the American people’s pockets. We should address rising gas prices, electricity costs, healthcare premiums, food prices, but instead the instances of fraud that congressional Republicans and this administration choose to focus on are solely to secure political points demonizing communities of color and attacking blue states.” 
Markey also chose not to comment on testimony from Faye Bernstein, a compliance specialist for the Minnesota Department of Human Services and a self-described lifelong Democrat. Bernstein testified that she began questioning members of her own party after raising fraud concerns and being “labeled a racist.” 
On Thursday, Rosiak <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-daily-wire-investigator-called-to-testify-on-findings-in-ohio?row=1&amp;elementPosition=9&amp;rowType=Web+Search">participated</a> in an anti-fraud roundtable hosted by the Republican Study Committee. 
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) kicked off the meeting praising Rosiak “for doing absolutely phenomenal work, uncovering a massive fraud scheme.” He added that the most amazing part was that Rosiak did it all through publicly available data. The committee discussed increasing data transparency to allow greater public access. 
Asked by The Daily Wire where the responsibility for fraud oversight should fall between Congress and investigative journalists, Gill said lawmakers should focus on using “the power of the purse” to ensure taxpayer dollars are not improperly distributed in the first place.
Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX) echoed that criticism, arguing that Congress is a system with warped incentives. 
“We measure effectiveness too often by how much money goes out the door, as opposed to, is it going to where it was intended and is it accomplishing what it was supposed to accomplish.”
Rosiak&#8217;s investigation focused in part on Ohio&#8217;s rapidly expanding home healthcare industry.
Rosiak found that Ohio spent roughly $1 billion on home healthcare services in 2024 alone, much of it through loosely monitored Medicaid programs that allow relatives to receive taxpayer funding for providing in-home “personal services” such as cooking, cleaning, and companionship.
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His investigation uncovered entire office buildings filled with Medicaid-billing home health companies, many run by individuals with little or no healthcare background, and in some cases histories of fraud, unpaid debts, or criminal convictions.
Rosiak partly blames weak certification standards for the problem, as the program requires a licensed professional to certify that a patient needs assistance around the house.
&#8220;It only takes one doctor who will say yes to churn out enough forms to bankrupt a state,&#8221; Rosiak said.
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Spending Bill – Government Shutdown – Debt Ceiling

Democrats Skip Hearing On Billion-Dollar Fraud Scheme Uncovered By Daily Wire

fraud

Medicaid Millionaires

Between lengthy TSA lines and increased concerns about national security threats amid the conflict with Iran, conservative experts told The Daily Wire that there are serious risks associated with the continued shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, as talks in Washington stall.
DHS has faced a lapse in funding since Feb. 14, as Democrats and Republicans are at odds on federal immigration enforcement tactics, despite Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection already being heavily funded through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” last year. Still, other agencies under DHS like TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard are unfunded.
“We’re dealing with a heightened threat environment right now, and we need the federal government security capabilities to be firing on all cylinders,” Nathan Sales, former special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, said.
“If you’re a Hezbollah operative and you want to carry out an attack in the United States, you have to cross the border, and that’s a DHS responsibility,” he noted, later adding that “this is not the time to be playing politics with national security.”
Sales specifically highlighted the risks of FEMA not having the money it needs to fully operate.
“What happens if, God forbid, there is a terrorist incident on American soil and we need an immediate federal response to that,” Sales asked. “It’s not a great time for FEMA to be sitting on the sidelines either.”
Meanwhile, Garrett Exner, an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute focusing on terrorism, national security, and defense, slammed the lack of funding for TSA as “insane,” saying &#8220;it&#8217;s not a good faith argument&#8221; for Democrats to use the other agencies under DHS as leverage for immigration reform.
“We have 11 million people that came here, and we don’t know who they are, and ICE is doing the legal business of moving those people out of the country, and Democrats are trying to stop that. They’re trying to slow it down,” Exner said, referencing the Biden-era border crisis.
Recent incidents like the attempted <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-york-city-in-heightened-state-of-alert-after-saturdays-attack?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=New+York+City+In+%E2%80%98Heightened+State+of+Alert%E2%80%99+After+Saturday%E2%80%99s+Attack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ISIS-style terrorist attack</a> outside the New York City mayoral residence, along with the Southwest Airlines flight bomb threat over the weekend, are also sparking concerns, according to Lora Ries, the director of The Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center.
“The House passed the DHS funding bill last week, so now it’s down to the Senate, and Senate Democrats are playing chicken with terrorists in this country,” Ries said, adding that it’s a “dereliction of duty by refusing to fund securing our homeland.”
In addition, the FBI is currently investigating the Austin, Texas, bar shooting from March 1 as a possible act of terrorism, as the alleged shooter was wearing a “Property of Allah” hoodie and a pro-Iran shirt.
Outside of the security risks, those who are essential workers, like TSA agents, are now working without pay, which will likely lead to a higher number of callouts at airports nationwide.
“They’re not getting rich doing these jobs. They live paycheck to paycheck,” Ken Cuccinelli, a former top Homeland Security official during the first Trump administration, pointed out regarding TSA, as shutdowns can “dissuade people from doing those jobs.”
Cuccinelli noted potential for the shutdown to hurt “morale” within DHS, and it could also create a ripple effect as FEMA responds to disasters like the recent Potomac River sewage spill.
TSA and other essential workers, like air traffic controllers, also bore the brunt of the 43-day-long full federal government shutdown last fall, which was triggered by Democrats pushing for an extension of the Affordable Care Act’s pandemic-era subsidies, but no permanent deal on the subsidies was ultimately reached. The remainder of the federal government is fully funded through September.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will be leaving her role at the department at the end of the month amid multiple controversies, and President Donald Trump plans to replace her with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK). However, Noem&#8217;s ouster is not considered enough to warrant a deal with Senate Democrats.
&#8220;I’ve been asked if I would support Sen. Mullin as Noem’s replacement. The answer is a resounding NO. The rot in DHS is deep, much deeper than any individual. It’s a question of policy not personnel. The Senate should not consider any DHS Secretary nominee until DHS and ICE are reined in,&#8221; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) posted to X last week.

Denver International Airport scenes

Top National Security Experts Warn Dems ‘Playing Chicken With Terrorists’

chuck schumer

immigration

national security

terrorism

Secretary of State Marco Rubio jabbed at his former colleagues on Wednesday, saying that Senate Democrats were going to malign and second-guess President Donald Trump&#8217;s actions in Venezuela no matter what.
Rubio, flanked by War Secretary Pete Hegseth, responded to a reporter who said that Democrats on Capitol Hill had said the Trump administration was &#8220;winging it&#8221; with regard to Saturday&#8217;s attack on Venezuela and the simultaneous arrest and extradition of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 REPORTER: Dems say you&#8217;re WINGING Venezuela, you have no plan!
SEC. MARCO RUBIO: &#8220;Yeah, I know. They&#8217;re gonna say that. I used to be a senator too! That&#8217;s what you ALWAYS say!&#8221; 😂
&#8220;It&#8217;s not just speculating what&#8217;s gonna happen &#8211; IT&#8217;S ALREADY HAPPENING.&#8221; 🔥
WE LOVE MARCO <a href="https://t.co/dFiT7QF9ZK">pic.twitter.com/dFiT7QF9ZK</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2008943109930143834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Hegseth appeared to have a good idea of what was coming, and could be seen ducking his head slightly and smiling in the background as the reporter asked the question.
&#8220;Yeah, I know. They&#8217;re gonna say that. I used to be a senator too! That&#8217;s what you always say when it&#8217;s the other party,&#8221; Rubio explained — and then said that the same people accusing him of &#8220;winging it&#8221; had actually been filled in on exactly what was happening.
&#8220;The bottom line is we&#8217;ve gone into great detail with them about the planning, we&#8217;ve described it to them, in fact, it&#8217;s not just winging it. It&#8217;s not just saying or speculating what&#8217;s gonna happen, it&#8217;s already happening. Like the oil arrangement that we&#8217;ve made with PDVSA (Petróleos de Venezuela, SA) on their sanctioned oil that they can&#8217;t move — understand, they are not generating any revenue from their oil right now. They can&#8217;t move it unless we allow it to move because we have sanctions, because we&#8217;re enforcing those sanctions.&#8221;
&#8220;This is tremendous leverage,&#8221; Rubio continued, saying that the way things were playing out would ultimately benefit everyone involved, including both the Venezuelan people and any American interests.

Secretary Marco Rubio Meets With Ecuadoran Foreign Affairs Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld

Rubio Torches Democrats Who Say He’s ‘Winging It’ On Venezuela: ‘I Used To Be A Senator Too’

marco rubio

venezuela

Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) revealed on Monday that her office had terminated a staffer who&#8217;d been accused of impersonating an attorney and pretending to represent previously deported illegal alien, Jose Ismael Ayuzo Sandoval, who was apprehended in Staunton, Illinois.
According to a report shared by Fox News National Correspondent Bill Melugin, the staffer embarked upon the charade while interacting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials in an effort to get the illegal alien in question — who&#8217;d been deported four times and had a DUI conviction — out of federal custody.
&#8220;Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) notifies ICE she has fired a staffer who was accused by ICE of pretending to be the attorney of a previously deported illegal alien in an effort to free him from federal custody. Duckworth tells ICE in letter that she was not aware of, and didn’t authorize or direct the staffer’s conduct,&#8221; Melugin posted along with a photo of a letter Duckworth sent to acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) notifies ICE she has fired a staffer who was accused by ICE of pretending to be the attorney of a previously deported illegal alien in an effort to free him from federal custody. Duckworth tells ICE in letter that she was not aware of, and… <a href="https://t.co/Bg0UFzy9x5">pic.twitter.com/Bg0UFzy9x5</a>
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillMelugin_/status/1990516737843109994?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Dear Acting Director Lyons,&#8221; Duckworth&#8217;s letter began. &#8220;I am writing in response to your November 12, 2025 letter regarding interactions between an employee of my Senate Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in the St. Louis ICE Field Office.&#8221;
&#8220;Upon reviewing the matter, I can confirm that neither I nor my leadership team was aware of, authorized or directed what your letter described as the employee&#8217;s conduct,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;My office has terminated the employment of said employee, effective November 17, 2025.&#8221;
The Department of Homeland Security went public with the accusation on November 12, as Duckworth noted, and shared some information about what the staffer had done.
&#8220;This @SenDuckworth staff member allegedly claimed to be the lawyer of a 40-year-old illegal immigrant who had been deported to Mexico 4 times and had a DUI conviction, in order to seek his release from custody. He accomplished this by falsifying an official Department of Homeland Security form. We look forward to a response from Senator Duckworth,&#8221; DHS posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This <a href="https://twitter.com/SenDuckworth?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenDuckworth</a> staff member allegedly claimed to be the lawyer of a 40-year-old illegal immigrant who had been deported to Mexico 4 times and had a DUI conviction, in order to seek his release from custody. He accomplished this by falsifying an official Department of Homeland… <a href="https://t.co/R3ggCwolE6">pic.twitter.com/R3ggCwolE6</a>
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1988686099334500776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Daily Wire&#8217;s Jennie Taer followed up with additional information a short time later, adding, &#8220;DHS tells me that the Duckworth staffer was posing as a lawyer to get Jose Isemal Ayuzo Sandoval, who was deported four times before and has a DUI conviction. &#8216;On October 29, 2025, ICE arrested Ayuzo in Staunton, IL. He was transferred to ICE St. Louis for processing where a Duckworth staffer allegedly tried to remove him from ICE custody by claiming to be his attorney,'&#8221; she said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
DHS tells me that the Duckworth staffer was posing as a lawyer to get Jose Isemal Ayuzo Sandoval, who was deported four times before and has a DUI conviction.
&#8220;On October 29, 2025, ICE arrested Ayuzo in Staunton, IL. He was transferred to ICE St. Louis for processing where a… <a href="https://t.co/51MKTofg25">https://t.co/51MKTofg25</a> <a href="https://t.co/IteUO0fBze">pic.twitter.com/IteUO0fBze</a>
— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) <a href="https://twitter.com/JennieSTaer/status/1988730254307770501?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Senate Lawmakers Speak To The Media After Their Weekly Policy Luncheons

Democrat Staffer Accused Of Pretending To Be Attorney For Previously Deported Illegal

illegal immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Tammy Duckworth

Sunny Hostin used her time on Monday&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;The View&#8221; to blame Republicans for the government shutdown — which was caused by Democrats who refused to vote for a clean Continuing Resolution (CR) — and trash Democrats for voting to reopen the government.
Hostin joined her cohosts on the ABC midday talk show, where she complained about the fact that eight Democrats had voted to reopen the government and called for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to be replaced as a party leader.
Cohost Whoopi Goldberg, earlier in the conversation, conceded that Democrats were using the shutdown to force Republicans into submission — but she also admitted that it had not worked. She then attempted to stir up panic by claiming that people who were due back pay when the shutdown officially ends might not get it.
&#8220;So surprise me and show me that this is really that people are going to get their money. That people are going to get the money that they are entitled to,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Federal workers and reinstate snap benefits but a 50-50 chance of extending the subsidies, I don&#8217;t believe it.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Desperate to cling to a narrative that was just shattered, Sunny Hostin is still insisting that Republicans were the ones who shut down the government and RAGES at Democrats for giving in:
&#8220;This was a choice by Republicans to cut SNAP benefits! This was a choice by Republicans… <a href="https://t.co/q3DtEjLOKd">pic.twitter.com/q3DtEjLOKd</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1987918961434882519?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Hostin followed that by dismissing the facts outright and replacing them with her own personal assessment of the way things had gone down.
&#8220;Look, let&#8217;s be clear. Republicans run the House, the Republicans run the Senate, the Republicans run the White House, the Republicans run the Supreme Court as far as I&#8217;m concerned,&#8221; Hostin said, failing to note that to pass the Senate, Republicans needed 60 votes and could not get that without Democrats. &#8220;This was a choice by Republicans to cut SNAP benefits! This was a choice by Republicans to cut ACA subsidies! This was a choice by the Republicans to gut the federal government and federal employment! Democrats had nothing to do with it! I want an opposition party! I think the Democrats caved! I think the Democrats let down the American people!&#8221;
&#8220;So, the bottom line is the Democrats went into this after a blue wave, the American people saying we do want the opposition. The working people want the Democratic Party to fight for them. And now they just caved and surrendered. I think Chuck Schumer, his days are over. If he cannot keep his caucus together, he needs to go! He needs to be replaced!&#8221; she complained.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, SARA HAINES, JOY BEHAR, SUNNY HOSTIN, ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN

‘The View’ Host’s Tirade Over Shutdown Ending Is A Master Class In Gaslighting

'The View' Host's Tirade Over Shutdown Ending Is A Master Class In Gaslighting

government shutdown

media

sunny hostin

the view

WASHINGTON—John Fetterman doesn’t know what his fellow Democrats are thinking.
That, more or less, sums up what the Pennsylvania Democrat had to say to The Daily Wire during a wide-ranging Monday interview in his Senate office.
Seated in front of a fireplace festooned with pennants from Pennsylvania colleges, across from a framed “Don’t Be A Jagoff” poster, Fetterman held forth on the government shutdown, foreign policy, and the strange convergence of issues that have made him one of the Upper Chamber’s most surprising bipartisan voices.
It’s not just that Fetterman doesn’t understand some of the positions his colleagues have taken — though, to be sure, he doesn’t — but that he literally doesn’t know what they’re thinking. And how could he? They won’t talk to him.
“Not a single Democrat reached out to me,” Fetterman said about the lack of response to his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fetterman-to-democrats-own-the-shutdown-and-reopen-government-now" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sunday appearance</a> on CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper, during which he said that Democrats “need to own the shutdown.”
Fetterman suspects he hasn’t heard much from Democrats because they realize he’s “pretty committed” to what he says is a “pretty reasonable” view: that lawmakers should never hold the government hostage to achieve their political ends.
Still, as Congress barrels through the record for the longest-ever government shutdown, you would think Chuck Schumer might reach out to the member of his caucus who not only voted with Republicans to reopen the government 15 times, but has become an increasingly-vocal crusader against his party’s position.
So, has the Gentleman from Pennsylvania heard from the Senate Minority Leader?
“I haven’t,” Fetterman says.
Such is life for the self-proclaimed “regular Democrat,” whose refusal to toe the party line has made him a bit of a loner on his side of the aisle.
“I mean, honestly, I’m on The Daily Wire having this conversation,” Fetterman says with just a hint of incredulity. “I’m not having this conversation on MSNBC because they haven’t — I’d be happy to have this conversation there.”
The senator doesn’t complete his thought, but later on he says it would be “great” if “MSNBC decides to have me back on.” The implication is clear: when he started siding with Republicans, 30 Rock stopped calling.
Still, Fetterman has no interest in becoming the type of &#8220;Confirmed Bipartisan Senator,&#8221; bucking his party and making grand pronouncements about the need to cross the aisle. He’s quick to dismiss the idea that he’s some kind of Democratic Party gadfly, and brushes off comparisons to similar senators, noting that both Joe Manchin and Mitt Romney weren’t trying to keep their parties honest so much as they were trying to survive in hostile electoral environments.
So, no, John Fetterman has no intention of ditching the donkeys, not to go independent, and certainly not to join the other side.
“I’d be a pretty terrible Republican, you know?” the senator laughs. But that doesn’t mean he’s thrilled with how things are going with his team.
“I think the problem with the Democratic Party is, if you have a problem with a Democrat who supports Israel, who wants to secure our border, and thinks that it’s always wrong to shut our government down, then I think maybe the party has a bigger problem than I thought.”
Fetterman takes care to say that it’s the improbable fact of those three issues — Israel, the southern border, and the government shutdown — “converging at the same time” that “put me in alignment with more of a Republican view.”
“I ran as a regular Democrat, and my values haven’t changed,” Fetterman says.”What’s changed is, I think, the response after the Trump election.”
“We lost. We lost!” Fetterman says, repeating himself for emphasis. “And I think we really have to explore exactly why.”
“If it was partly the extreme things,” Fetterman says, doubling down on those positions would be a mistake.
It’s impossible not to think of Zohran Mamdani when he says this. The socialist upstart and likely next mayor of New York City has run a campaign in many ways reminiscent of Fetterman’s: focusing on the common man and embracing the fact that he looks different from everyone else on the primary ballot. But Mamdani shows no signs of moderating and offers no indication that he’ll govern like a “regular Democrat.”
But if Mamdani has Fetterman worried about the future of the Democratic Party, the senator won’t let on.
“New York City’s politics are not a model or relevant to national politics,” Fetterman says. “He will be the next mayor of NYC. That doesn’t change my life. And I don’t think it will change our party that wants to win nationally.”
It’s hard to square that sentiment with the actions of the Democratic Party, which in fact seems quite happy to sacrifice national victories to satisfy its Left flank. Take, for instance, the very shutdown that has Fetterman on the outs, which has dragged on this long in no small part because Schumer is terrified of being <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republicans-say-schumers-shutdown-is-about-appeasing-liberal-base-amid-rumored-aoc-primary?author=Amber+Jo+Cooper&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=14&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Republicans+Are+Calling+It+The+%E2%80%98Schumer+Shutdown.%E2%80%99+Why+Are+They+Making+It+All+About+AOC%3F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defenestrated</a> by New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
It’s also hard to square that sentiment with Fetterman’s other comments.
“I’d like to remind people that every single union that’s connected to this shutdown has said, hey, open this up! Vote for the CR, get that out,” Fetterman says. “We’re a pro-union party. Why don’t we listen to them? Why is this controversial for a Democrat to follow the voice of the unions?”
“I think shutting our government down simply because we have to ‘fight,’ or because that’s part of this resistance, I don’t agree with it,” the senator adds. “And I think we’re gonna hurt the kinds of people who are at the center of our party.”
As long as the government is closed, getting things reopened — paying servicemen, funding SNAP — will be Fetterman’s main focus. But after that’s resolved, assuming the peace in Gaza lasts, and if we can get something done in Ukraine, Fetterman senses the next issue of contention looming on the horizon.
“Holding China accountable,” Fetterman says. “China is certainly not our ally.”
The senator is open to whatever President Donald Trump and his team can throw at Beijing, from tariffs on down. Asked if he worries that escalating tensions with China will put Taiwan in the crosshairs, he demurs, but makes a point of trumpeting U.S.-Taiwan relations.
“I’m a big believer in democracy, and those are our key allies: Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine,&#8221; Fetterman says, noting that defending each country is “pretty much the same fight against these kinds of nations like China, Russia, and Iran.”
Here, Fetterman returns once again to bipartisanship.
“I don’t care who brings peace, whether it’s Donald Trump or Joe Biden, I’m gonna support and follow as long as they’re pushing for peace, through strength. Peace through strength.”
Peace through strength. Ronald Reagan added that phrase to the Republican Party platform in 1980, where it’s remained ever since. Like Fetterman, he was a union man whose frustrations with the Democratic Party catapulted him to national fame.
Fetterman stops short of declaring, as Reagan famously did, that the Democratic Party left him. But whether he’ll say it or not, it seems like that particular train may be leaving the station. And the senator from Pennsylvania doesn’t seem interested in running to catch it.

Senate Readies Tax Bill For Vote As Holdouts Threaten Delay

The Daily Wire Sits Down With John Fetterman, Who Doesn’t Hear From Democrats Anymore

Democrats

zohran mamdani

WASHINGTON—Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s office confirmed to The Daily Wire that he continues to support the filibuster and his position remains “unchanged&#8221; by President Donald Trump&#8217;s call to abandon the filibuster as the government shutdown hits day 31.
On Thursday night, Trump took to <a href="https://x.com/AmberJoCooper/status/1984233772871516162">Truth Social</a> to urge Republicans to use the so-called “nuclear option.”
The president praised Republican leaders, saying Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson are doing a “GREAT job, but the Democrats are Crazed Lunatics that have lost all sense of WISDOM and REALITY.”
“It is now time for the Republicans to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’ and go for what is called the Nuclear Option — Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!” Trump said.
The filibuster requires 60 votes to end debate on most legislation before it can proceed to a final vote.
The ongoing government shutdown has dragged on because Republicans hold only 53 seats, leaving them short of the 60 votes needed to advance the House-passed <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5371">continuing resolution,</a> which would reopen the government. So far, the closest vote has been 55 — just five short of the threshold.
Trump said he believes if Democrats ever came back into power, they would end the filibuster “in the first day they take office, regardless of whether or not we do it.”
However, not everyone agrees ending the filibuster is the solution.
On October 10, Thune explained why he opposed eliminating it:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
FLASHBACK: Here is <a href="https://twitter.com/LeaderJohnThune?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LeaderJohnThune</a> prev. comments from 10/10 where he explained why he is AGAINST getting rid of the filibuster:
&#8220;The filibuster protects..&#8221;
This morning, Thune&#8217;s office confirmed his position is &#8220;unchanged.&#8221;<a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDailyWire</a> <a href="https://t.co/LfpQo9Z2sI">pic.twitter.com/LfpQo9Z2sI</a>
— Amber Jo Cooper (@AmberJoCooper) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmberJoCooper/status/1984269430319403481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
Thune said the “supermajority requirement is something that makes the Senate the Senate,” adding that without it, “there’s a whole lot of bad things could have been done by the other side.”
“The 60-vote threshold has protected this country and frankly, that&#8217;s what I think this last election was largely about because if the Democrats had won the majority, they probably would have tried to nuke the filibuster,&#8221; Thune said.
He added that Democrats had &#8220;six or seven things that they were going to do&#8221; when they attempted to nuke  the filibuster.
In 2022, Democrats attempted to eliminate the filibuster, but former independent Senators Joe Manchin (WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) voted with Republicans to keep it.
&#8220;And then you&#8217;d have four new U.S. Senators from Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, you&#8217;d have a packed Supreme Court, you&#8217;d have abortion on demand — a whole bunch of things that were on that laundry list,&#8221; Thune said.
The Senate Majority Leader said he believes the filibuster “protects” and has been &#8220;a voice for the minority.&#8221;
“It gives the minority a say in what happens in this country. The founders created the Senate, uniquely that way, for that specific reason,&#8221; Thune said.
Through the entire standoff, Thune has maintained his position, calling on Democrats to join Republicans to end the shutdown.
“It&#8217;s just really not that complicated. All it takes is a little backbone, a little courage on behalf of five Democrats to do what they have done and what we&#8217;ve done for decades when it comes to funding the government,&#8221; he added.
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso’s spokeswoman confirmed to The Daily Wire that his support of the filibuster is “unchanged” as well.
Barrasso previously appeared on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwKliF4llDI&amp;t=151s">Fox &amp; Friends</a> and said there “aren’t the Republicans that would want to support it.”
“The Democrats would love for us to do that. They tried to do it last time because they wanted to add D.C. and Puerto Rico as states with more Democrat senators. They wanted to expand the Supreme Court from 9 to 13, and they wanted to get rid of voter ID, so that’s not something that we’re going to entertain,” Barrasso said.
Thune told Daily Wire editor emeritus <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEGCgwjIyMU">Ben Shapiro</a> last week that everything is “harder than it should be” right now, but he believes rank-and-file Democrats will eventually break from leadership and reopen the government.
“I just think we ought to be able to do this the old fashioned way and that is open up the government by just having five more Democrats vote with us and that’s all it’s going to take,” Thune said.
“We don’t need to end the filibuster,&#8221; Senate Republican Conference Chair Tom Cotton <a href="https://x.com/SenTomCotton/status/1982925568929870208">said</a> on Oct. 27 on Fox News. &#8220;We need five more Democrats to come to their senses and open the government. Senate Republicans will not be baited by nonsensical Democrat demands.”
When asked about the filibuster Friday, Speaker Johnson said his opinion is “not relevant.”
“I don‘t have a say in this. It is a Senate chamber issue. We do not have that in the House. But, the filibuster has traditionally has been viewed as a very important safeguard,” Johnson said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NOW: <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerJohnson</a> on Trump calling on Republicans to nuke the filibuster:
&#8220;I don‘t have a say in this. It is a Senate chamber issue. We do not have that in the House. But, the filibuster has traditionally has been viewed as a very important safeguard&#8230;&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDailyWire</a> <a href="https://t.co/FukEMWBYQD">pic.twitter.com/FukEMWBYQD</a>
— Amber Jo Cooper (@AmberJoCooper) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmberJoCooper/status/1984267886056329562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
With Senate Republican leaders united in support of the filibuster, the only way out of the shutdown appears to be for Senate Democrats to vote on the continuing resolution to reopen the government. The longer they delay, the more Republicans are ramping up their offense.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee launched a digital <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK9yJb4iTrcO6YUVTI9LmadUP3X3ZlnpS" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list%3DPLK9yJb4iTrcO6YUVTI9LmadUP3X3ZlnpS&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762021378466000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2D5Rv15c9wp3Gcd8ligTUb">ad campaign</a> Friday targeting Senate Democrat incumbents and Democrat challengers for “fighting to give free healthcare to illegal aliens over feeding American families.&#8221;
The NRSC slammed Democrats for voting to keep the government closed 13 times. It said “Schumer’s Shutdown is threatening to end SNAP assistance this week for <a href="https://e.nrsc.org/t/j-i-ydojrjt-l-j/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://e.nrsc.org/t/j-i-ydojrjt-l-j/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762021378466000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0Bs2A-lJvmXANBJdM_H-mL">42 million Americans</a> who rely on it to feed their families,&#8221; the group <a href="https://www.nrsc.org/press-releases/nrsc-ad-blitz-targets-battleground-democrats-for-pushing-free-healthcare-for-illegals-over-feeding-american-families-2025-10-31/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nrsc.org/press-releases/nrsc-ad-blitz-targets-battleground-democrats-for-pushing-free-healthcare-for-illegals-over-feeding-american-families-2025-10-31/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762021378466000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0P1608QsaYCM-9mO69D3SE">said</a> in a press release.
“Democrats are pandering to the far Left, and voters won’t forget it in 2026,” NRSC Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez said.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD)

Senate Leader’s Stance On Filibuster Remains ‘Unchanged’ As Trump Pushes ‘Nuclear Option’

donald trump

Filibuster

john thune

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