John Kennedy Rejects Schumer's Demands for Ending Shutdown
- ForAmerica
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a floor speech on Friday that he would agree to reopen the government - the current shutdown led by Democrats being the longest in history - if Republicans would agree to extending certain Obamacare subsidies.
Republican Sen. John Kennedy wasn't having it, and had some special thoughts and words for Schumer.
Sen. Kennedy made his remarks in an interview with Fox News Martha MacCallum.
Kennedy told MacCallum, “God, please give me patience, because if, if you give me strength, I’m going to need bail money."
She laughed.
The senator explained why Schumer's proposal was so asinine.
“What Sen. Schumer is suggesting is that we do the dumbest thing possible that won’t work," he said. "Stupid should hurt more."
Kennedy continued, "Sen. Schumer says we should just extend the status quo for a year. What does that mean? That means that we would have to take $35 billion of taxpayer money and give it directly to the health insurance companies without any commitment of lowering premiums."
"How is that going to reduce health care costs?" Kennedy asked. "How’s that going to reduce premiums?"
The senator from Louisiana detailed how detached from reality Schumer is on this issue.
“The health care companies are going to take $35 billion from the taxpayers and put it into their pockets. I mean, duh!” Kennedy continued. “I don’t know what Sen. Schumer is thinking."
"Earth to Chuck, I mean, Earth to Chuck," he said.
Kennedy said he would not be voting for this latest idea from Schumer.
Emphatically.
"Am I going to vote for this?" he said. "The short answer is no. The long answer is hell, no. I think we’re just going to have to get used to the fact that we’ve been in a shutdown, we’re going to be in a shutdown for a while."
"I voted 14 times to lift the shutdown," Kennedy continued. "The Democrats and Sen. Rand Paul have voted 14 times to keep the government shutdown."
We’re just going to be here for a while," the senator finished.