Rep. Fedorchak on Newsmax: “This is not the way to do business.”
Washington D.C. — Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak (R-ND) today joined Newsmax’s National Update to share her perspectives on the Democrat-led government shutdown. Check out highlights below:
On Democrats prolonging the government shutdown:
This is really shocking, and really for me, very infuriating to see how the shutdown continues to drag on. And I thought when the Democrats saw the SNAP benefits being withheld and the people suffering with food insecurity, that that might change their mind. But it didn't.
When the federal workers unions came out and said, Democrats, stop holding the government hostage; let's open this back up. I thought that might change their mind. It didn't. It didn't matter that the troops aren't getting paid or that we're putting our national security at risk. None of that has changed their mind.
Now, we're throwing our whole transportation system into chaos leading into one of the busiest holidays of the year, and I hope that this is enough to bring them to the table.
And what I expect is when it starts hurting them, when their flights are delayed, when they can't get back home, hopefully when they personally have to feel the impact of the shutdown, that that will be enough to bring them to the table and to do the simple thing that the House Republicans did, and the Senate Republicans have done now 14 times, which is to pass the clean CR and open up the government.
On using contingency funds for SNAP benefits:
The simple solution is to open up the government, to pass the CR and allow the SNAP payments to go out as part of that. That's the simple solution.
I think it's really sad that we have to go through all these contortions to try to force the administration to use funds that haven't been set up for this purpose and to reapply them for the SNAP benefits so that people's food insecurity can be addressed.
That's just not the way to run government. I support people getting their SNAP benefits, but we should do that by opening up the government. And we could do that today if Democrats came to the table in the Senate and just passed the clean CR, it's really that simple.
On eliminating the Senate filibuster:
The filibuster is a long-standing tradition that has helped support bipartisan solutions and minimize the big sways in government. I think it's sad that we might have to look at eliminating that to do the simple thing of keeping our government open. This is not the way to do business.
I don't support using that. But the Senate Democrats are leaving very few options on the table—all to gain politically for themselves.
They see this as a political win. They're using their pain on Americans as leverage for their own political gain. I think it's really sad, infuriating, disgusting, and shocking.
I know my constituents in North Dakota feel the same way, and I just hope that some of [the Senate Democrats] see the light—the centrist Democrats as Speaker Johnson calls them, if there are any in the Senate—to come to the table and stop this nonsense.
Pass the clean CR, and let's get back to business. Let's open up the government for the American people who are funding it.
On legislation to block Members of Congress from getting paid during a government shutdown:
I 100 percent agree. I'm pursuing a Constitutional amendment myself that my team is working on drafting, and I'm going to be working with my House members to advance that, as well as some other measures, to make sure that we feel the pain.
That we the leaders, who are responsible for doing the business government on behalf of the people we represent, personally feel the pain of a government shutdown, so we can hopefully avoid this in the future. I think that's what it's going to take.
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