Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) denied the Democratic Party is holding federal workers hostage during the government shutdown, saying past comments he made opposing this tactic were on a “long-term” healthcare issue.
The government is 12 days into a shutdown as of Sunday, and Senate Republicans need five more Democratic votes to reopen the government. Murphy, who has voted against all of the Republican bills to reopen the government, previously spoke against lawmakers trying to “use” the nation’s security and federal workers as “hostages” during negotiations to end a 2018 government shutdown.
CBS News’s Margaret Brennan confronted Murphy about those past comments on Sunday, asking if he is now doing “exactly” what he criticized in 2018. The senator said no, and that his past comments were referring to “the long-term structure” of the healthcare system. This current shutdown, he argued, is an “emergency.”
“In about a month, premiums are going to go up by 75%, and we have to make a decision whether this budget is going to allow for that to happen or to stop it. What is happening in Chicago right now is an emergency. What is happening at the FCC as they try to shut down free speech in this country is an emergency,” Murphy said on Face the Nation.
“So we have a responsibility in this upcoming budget to prevent disaster for families whose premiums are about to go up, and to address the destruction of our democracy and the rule of law that’s happening all over this country,” he added.
Murphy also said he doesn’t believe that any follow-up discussions on healthcare will be held if the government is reopened. Brennan argued that Vice President JD Vance said it is as if Democrats will not say “what it is they want to negotiate,” though Murphy claimed “you cannot trust this administration.”
Murphy also downplayed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) comments when he said every day the shutdown continues it “gets better” for Democrats. Murphy claimed people are “desperately trying to spin what Democrats are saying” after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) condemned Schumer’s statement.
TRUMP MASS LAYOFFS SHOW HE ISN’T BLUFFING ON SHUTDOWN THREATS
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who has voted to reopen the government, reiterated his position on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo that the government should always be open. He also said it’s “silly” the government is shut down, while a peace deal takes effect in Gaza.