D.C. Del. Norton, Reportedly In ‘Early Stages Of Dementia,’ Scammed By Suspects Masquerading As Home Cleaning Crew
The Democrat personally allowed the group claiming to be HVAC personnel into her home in D.C.'s Southeast quadrant
Senate Democrats senselessly block GOP bill that would pay workers during government shutdown
Senate Democrats have doubled down on the government shutdown, blocking a bill that would make sure federal workers wouldn't miss any more paychecks.
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin proposed the bill on the Senate floor that would ensure service members and federal personnel who are currently working would get their paychecks during the Democrat-induced shutdown. Only three Democrats in the entire Senate joined Republicans to pay federal workers.
'They want to shut down the government.'
The bill ultimately failed, falling six votes short of the 60-vote threshold. Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and Raphael Warnock of Georgia bucked 45 of their colleagues and joined 51 Republicans in support of the bill.
"We've heard Democrats criticize [Johnson's] bill because it would provide pay only to those working through the shutdown," Senate Majority Leader John Thune said in a post on X. "They say they want everyone to get paid. Well, I have great news: the clean CR would pay everyone. We just need five more Democrats to support it."
RELATED: 'These people are sick': Trump admin slams top Dem for justifying shutdown suffering
As Thune and his allies at the White House have pointed out, Democrats are the ones who have consistently voted against passing a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open. At the same time, Democrats are demanding Congress renegotiate Obamacare subsidies that aren't set to expire until the end of the year and insisting on passing their hyper-partisan $1.5 trillion spending bill.
"I'll just point out the irony in Democrats holding the government and the American public hostage over a health care system that they created," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Thursday's briefing. "The health care system was called Obamacare. Why? Because Democrats and President Obama implemented it. And Republicans have always said it's a broken system, yes, but they caused it. And now they want to shut down the government to fix it?
"We need to open the government, and then we can have these very important conversations about health care," she continued.
RELATED: Democrat senator blocks vote to end shutdown to protest Trump's 'authoritarianism' in drawn-out rant
Republicans have remained consistent on the shutdown fight. Their resolution is a clean, nonpartisan funding bill that keeps spending at the same rates Democrats voted for over a dozen times in the past. Thune has even indicated he would be willing to give Democrats a vote on the Obamacare subsidies so long as they vote to open the government.
Even still, just three Democrats have mustered up the courage to consistently vote with Republicans to reopen the government.
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'These people are sick': Trump admin slams top Dem for justifying shutdown suffering
House Democrats' second in command provided a jaw-dropping justification for the suffering inflicted on American families during the government shutdown, and the White House is having none of it.
As the government shutdown approaches its fourth week, Americans are bracing themselves to miss paychecks and key government benefits like SNAP. House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) admitted that the Democrat-induced government shutdown has been painful for families across the country but justified it because "it is one of the few leverage times [Democrats] have."
'At some point, the Democrats are going to have to take yes for an answer.'
"I mean, shutdowns are terrible," Clark said in a recent interview. "Of course, there are going to be families that are going to suffer. We take that responsibility very seriously."
RELATED: Democrat senator blocks vote to end shutdown to protest Trump's 'authoritarianism' in drawn-out rant
Democrats are holding federal paychecks hostage and using government benefits as leverage to accomplish a policy agenda Americans rejected at the ballot box last November. Rather than voting for the Republicans' clean, nonpartisan funding bill, which notably keeps spending levels at the same rate Democrats voted for over a dozen times in the past, Democrats are set on ramming through their own policies.
The White House quickly condemned Clark's comments, calling Democrats "sick" for using the American people as leverage.
"Not only are Democrats refusing to reopen the government and knowingly inflicting pain on the American people, but now they’re bragging about using struggling American families as leverage for their radical left agenda," White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson told Blaze News. "These people are sick.”
The Democrats' counter funding bill would cost taxpayers $1.5 trillion to effectively reverse every legislative accomplishment Republicans secured through President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Democrats are also demanding that Congress address Obamacare subsidies immediately despite the fact that they expire at the end of the year.
Although Democrats have remained stubborn, their efforts are ultimately futile. Republicans hold a supermajority, meaning Democrats will never have the support to pass legislation on their own during this Congress. Even though Democrats are trying to force the GOP's hand, top Republicans have maintained that they are not responsible for the shutdown and that it's up to their colleagues across the aisle to do the right thing and reopen the government.
"If the Democrats want to talk about subjects unrelated to ... getting the government open again, we’re happy to have those conversations," Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Tuesday. "But we’ve repeatedly now gone through this, and at some point, the Democrats are going to have to take yes for an answer."
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'This is insane': Tom Emmer eviscerates Democrats for refusing to reopen the government
As the government officially enters the second week of the shutdown, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota has a clear message to Democrats.
In a video obtained exclusively by Blaze News, Emmer ripped into Senate Democrats for putting partisan politics over the American people. Ever since Democrats refused to pass the Republicans' clean, nonpartisan funding bill before the September 30 deadline, Congress has been in a stalemate.
'All these Democrats are putting their political issue ahead of the American people.'
"The Democrats in the U.S. Senate have now voted 'no' on reopening the government seven times," Emmer says in the video obtained by Blaze News. "... You've got over 400,000 Minnesotans who rely on SNAP to support themselves. Our air traffic controllers aren't going to get paid. Our Customs and Border Patrol [sic] isn't going to get paid."
Notably, President Donald Trump's administration has made attempts to minimize pain for those affected by the shutdown, such as making sure our military service members don't miss their paychecks on October 15.
RELATED: Democrats feign outrage as Trump administration shutdown layoffs hit: 'They seem to be enjoying it'
In the video, Emmer is seen standing in the United States Capitol near the Senate chamber, where over a half-dozen votes to reopen the government have been blocked by Democrats. Emmer also points out the harsh contrast between the two spending bills proposed by the respective parties.
"I'm standing in the rotunda. Behind me is where the Senate should be right now, voting to reopen the government," Emmer says in the video. "Instead, seven times now they have voted no."
The Republican-led spending bill is a bipartisan bill that continues funding the government at current spending levels through November 21. There are no ideological line items or anomalies in the GOP bill, whereas the Democrat bill is full of them. Emmer calls out Democrat Sen. Tina Smith, who shares his Minnesota constituency, for voting against every effort to keep the government open.
"You want to put illegals back on taxpayer-funded health care benefits while at the same time gutting our rural hospital fund of $50 billion that we created just this summer," Emmer says of Smith.
RELATED: 'PAY OUR TROOPS': Trump unveils creative solution to minimize military's shutdown pain
"All these Democrats are putting their political issue ahead of the American people," Emmer continues in the video. "This is insane, and it's wrong."
"Our message is clear. Democrats: Reopen the government. Let's get back to work. Put the people before your politics. Stop hurting Americans. Let's get back to work and finish the job that we were all sent here to do."
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White House deploys nuclear option amid Democrat-induced shutdown stalemate
With no end in sight for the government shutdown, President Donald Trump's administration is turning up the heat on Democrats.
The Office of Management and Budget has officially begun issuing reduction-in-force notices that will lead to "substantial" layoffs across several federal agencies, an OMB spokesperson told Blaze News. OMB Director Russell Vought also confirmed the layoffs in a post on X Friday, saying, "The RIFs have begun."
'Every day it's actually getting worse for them.'
Vought originally directed agencies to begin drafting RIF notices back in September in anticipation of the government shutdown. Trump also signaled on Thursday that mass layoffs and program cuts were imminent, warning that Democrats would get "a little taste of their own medicine."
"We're only going to cut Democrat programs, I hate to tell you," Trump said during the Cabinet meeting Thursday.
RELATED: White House dares Democrats with nuclear response to looming shutdown
"Chuck Schumer proclaimed this morning that every day gets better for them," Trump said. "No, every day it's actually getting worse for them, and they're having a rebellion in the Democrat Party because they want to stop."
Although Democrats have continued to dig their heels in, Republicans have remained unified behind the president, arguing there's nothing to negotiate. Going into the 10th day of the shutdown, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) made his media rounds on Friday by attending several pressers throughout the day, even joining the House Freedom Caucus for its historic, first-ever press call.
During the call, Johnson also hinted that Congress may be considering another rescissions package and that lawmakers will be hearing more "in the days to come."
As of this writing, Democrats have voted to keep the government closed over a half dozen times since the September 30 funding deadline lapsed. The Republican-led funding bill Democrats have so heavily protested is a clean, nonpartisan CR that keeps the government open at the current spending levels, with the exception of increased funding for security following Charlie Kirk's assassination.
In contrast, the Democrats' funding bill boasts a $1.5 trillion price tag, aiming to reverse virtually every legislative accomplishment Republicans secured with Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Even with competing legislation, Congress has reached a stalemate, with both the House and the Senate out of session until Tuesday.
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Trump teases shutdown consequences for Democrats: 'A little taste of their own medicine'
Over a week into the Democrat-induced government shutdown, President Donald Trump revealed just how far the administration is willing to go.
During a Cabinet meeting Thursday, Trump said Democrats will get "a little taste of their own medicine." The government has officially entered its ninth day of the shutdown, and neither Democrats nor Republicans seem to have budged. As a result, Trump is turning up the pressure.
'They wanted to do this.'
"Despite all of the damage that it's caused, the shutdown, it's been, you know, pretty damaging, I mean, not yet because it's early, but it gets a little bit worse as it goes along," Trump said.
As a result, Trump said his administration will "be making cuts that will be permanent."
"We're only going to cut Democrat programs, I hate to tell you," Trump said.
"We'll be cutting some very popular Democrat programs. ... They wanted to do this, so we'll give them a little taste of their own medicine," Trump added.
Democrats have voted several times to keep the government closed since the October 1 funding deadline. The Republican-led funding bill is a clean continuing resolution with no partisan anomalies. The only change in the GOP's bill is a bipartisan increase in security funding for lawmakers following Charlie Kirk's assassination.
In contrast, the Democrat-led funding bill boasts a $1.5 trillion price tag and aims to reverse most if not all legislative accomplishments achieved through Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
"Chuck Schumer proclaimed this morning that every day gets better for them," Trump said. "No, every day it's actually getting worse for them, and they're having a rebellion in the Democrat Party because they want to stop."
"This is a confession that he's acting, not to serve the people, but to serve the partisan interests of his party," Trump added. "And I don't think he's serving them well because ... they just lost an election in a landslide."
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