Senator Marshall: Dems Are Realizing It’s Easier to Start a Shutdown Than End One
Senator Marshall Joins Newsmax to Discuss The Schumer Shutdown, The Filibuster, and His Recent Visit to KS Food Banks
Washington – On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), joined Marc Lotter and Sharla McBride on Newsmax’s Wake Up America to discuss the ongoing negotiations around the Obamacare subsidies, what’s next in the Schumer Shutdown, what will become of the Senate filibuster, and the Senator’s recent visit to a Kansas food bank.
Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full interview.
On the negotiations with Democrats around the Schumer Shutdown:
“Well, I think there’s more than a handful that are realizing it’s much easier to force a shutdown than to get out of the shutdown. I think that this is the time when Republicans need to stop negotiating against ourselves. We need to stick together here and follow President Trump’s leadership and not give in. Look, our main goal was to keep the government open and work towards a balanced budget, responsible spending. The biggest problem that our country faces is our national debt.
“So, what the Democrats are locked in on now are these Obamacare, extra, extra Biden subsidies, and they’re admitting that Obamacare was an abstract failure. That it’s truly unaffordable care. Every time they complain about the failures of this program, it just shows us what we all thought: that over-regulation released a consolidation of the industry. That’s what happened with Dodd-Frank, that’s what’s happening with the UnAffordable Care Act as well. So, let them keep screaming. Republicans, let’s stick together.”
On what to do about the Senate filibuster:
“Well, this is the first time I’ve actually seriously considered this. I would make two points, and I’m not decided. You know, I wake up every morning, that I would do justice, and I’m sorting it out. But the two big reasons to do it; number one, it would allow us to plow through President Trump’s agenda and accomplish all of his America First goals. The other reason to consider doing it is I think there’s at least a 95% chance, when the Democrats are back in power in the Senate, and that’ll be someday, that they indeed will use the nuclear option. And they’ll indeed go forward with making Puerto Rico a state, they’ll pack the Supreme Court, they’ll take away our Second Amendment, and a whole other host of things as well.
“So, I would like to keep it to protect the minority. We’re a Republic, not a Democracy. A Republic is meant to protect the minority. The filibuster helps do that. But I’m actually, for the first time, thinking, you know, President Trump makes some good points here. This is going to be a heated debate here in Congress, in the Senate, at our private lunches this week.”
On whether or not we’re in the last days of the filibuster:
“I think that’s true. And again, by losing the filibuster, we could fund the government. So, here we are, day 45, desperate times call for desperate measures. So, that’s why I’m seriously considering it for the first time. And again, if we reverse Obamacare, Obamacare was done under reconciliation as well, with the 50 votes: we tried to repeal it, but we lost that. And if we’re going to do anything now, we may have to do it through reconciliation as well, because we want to fix it. We don’t want to just keep throwing good money after bad money. I saw today that premiums are expected to go up 25% in Obamacare, regardless of what we do up here. So right now, the Democrats own this. The Unaffordable Care Act was an abstract failure.”
On his visit to the Kansas food bank last week:
“Well, we visited multiple food banks in our history here. This is something near and dear to my heart. As an obstetrician, we had access to the food banks. My wife volunteered every Tuesday afternoon for over 20 years in a food bank. Our church supported them as well. What I love about food banks is that they touch a person. And it’s more than just handing them food; there’s the social interaction as well. They know who really needs the help as well, and they can help coordinate other issues as well.
“Look, we live in the greatest country in the world. We used to spend $60 billion a year on nutrition programs when I got to Congress eight years ago. Now we’re spending up to $180 billion a year. Half the kids in the country are getting free lunches, free breakfast. We’re sending them home with free food as well. And then on top of that, 42 million people are getting food stamps as well, to the tune of $6 a day. And all that’s up in the air, but I think something we can rely upon is the food banks. And I appreciate all those people out there who volunteer at the food banks. That’s a community solving problems in a real way with a real personal touch.”
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Contact: Payton Fuller
