Senate Republicans are calling foul on Senate Democrats' opposition to the GOP’s short-term government funding extension. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
He argued that under former President Joe Biden’s administration, Senate Democrats overwhelmingly voted for 13 CRs.
"Ninety-six percent of the Democrats voted for all 13 of those," Thune said. "This is, again, a new practice that's been invented because of Trump Derangement Syndrome, and because these Democrats hate giving this president anything."
Senate Republicans are now titling the possibility of a partial government shutdown as a "Schumer Shutdown," given Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus’ unwillingness to support the GOP-authored bill.
"Now, all of a sudden, they can't vote for it? It's ridiculous," Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told Fox News Digital. "That's exactly where they're coming from, and it should be called the ‘Schumer Shutdown.’"
HOUSE REPUBLICANS SPLIT WITH TRUMP TEAM OVER 'VERY FRUSTRATING' FUNDING FIGHT AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., talks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol after the House passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on May 22, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc )
The top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., told Fox News Digital that it was a "lack of language on impoundments and the pocket rescission, things like that that we've been talking about."
The other part is that the CR does not contain an extension to Obamacare premium subsidies passed during the COVID-19 pandemic that are set to expire in December.
Democrats argue that an extension should be attached to the stopgap because insurance providers are teeing up new insurance rates ahead of the Nov. 1 open enrollment start date for the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, argued that lawmakers could wait until November to move on an extension.
"You can wait," Collins said. "Because … they can keep the eligibility criteria steady for next year and have the revised eligibility."
While Schumer and Democrats are expected to give Thune headaches throughout the ordeal, he may have to wrangle some fiscal hawks weary of CRs on his side of the aisle, too.
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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., argued that the spending levels set in the House GOP’s bill were the same as those set under former President Joe Biden, which Republicans "all decried in the election."
"So any Republican who votes for this, I guess maybe they should apologize to Biden for being against his spending levels," Paul said. "Because they're actually voting for his spending levels now."
And Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital that he hadn’t thoroughly reviewed the text of the bill yet, but he noted he was not typically a fan of funding extensions.
"The goal was always that we start having a real budgeting process, and so it's really frustrating that we haven't done that," he said.
Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-republicans-brand-looming-crisis-schumer-shutdown-democrats-dig