Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) spoke on the Senate floor regarding the ongoing government shutdown, criticizing internal divisions within the Democratic Party and attributing control to its more progressive members. Kennedy argued that a faction he referred to as the “socialist wing” is currently leading Democratic policy decisions.
Kennedy said, “Well, the shutdown melodrama continues. I love the smell of melodrama in the morning. Smells like the United States Senate. I said the other day that this shutdown is just further proof that human evolution is a slow, slow process. This shutdown—what you’re witnessing now—is just further proof of why it took human beings thousands of years to learn how to stand upright.”
He continued by expressing support for a two-party system: “I believe in a two-party system, Mr. President. Why? Because two parties create competition, and competition makes all of us better. . . . The Democratic Party is competing within itself right now, and there is a distinct wing of the Democratic Party that is winning that competition. If I wanted to use a pejorative expression, I would call it the loon wing of the party . . . I think a more accurate description is to call it the socialist wing of the Democratic Party. . . . That [wing of the] party is in control.”
Addressing Senate leadership, Kennedy stated: “Now, my friend, Sen. Schumer, is the leader of the Democrats in the United States Senate, and he, of course, has instructed his colleagues to vote to shut down government, and Sen. Schumer has been criticized for that. . . . But I don’t think Sen. Schumer is the person in charge, because Sen. Schumer is not the leader of the socialist wing of his party. Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez is. She’s running the show. It was no accident the other day; the congresswoman let it slip. She said, ‘If you really want to negotiate an end to this shutdown, come see me.’”
Kennedy outlined what he described as demands from Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her allies: “[T]he first thing that the socialists and Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez [are] asking us to do is to repeal the health care reforms in One Big Beautiful Bill. We just passed them… Now we didn’t cut Medicaid in One Big Beautiful Bill… In fact under our bill Medicaid is going to increase 2% a year for next ten years… Now what we did by reforming Medicaid which Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez wants us to reverse [is] cut out waste and fraud.”
He also addressed concerns about Affordable Care Act subsidies: “What else do they want us to do? Well they’re upset at us over Affordable Care Act… [B]ecause President Biden raised [the income] cap we’ve got… families making $200000 a year getting subsidies from American taxpayer… The pandemic is over and that’s why Democrats when they passed bill put in provision that says at end of this year those extra subsidies are going end… Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez says ‘No Until you agree …to let anybody at income level get subsidies we’re going shut government down.’”
Kennedy referenced budgetary disagreements involving previous presidential proposals: “Now those are demands I’ll mention one more Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez got very upset as did socialist wing her party when president sent over what’s called rescission package Basically President Trump just said ‘We want you take some stuff out budget we think wasteful.’ And we did and that upset congresswoman.”
He concluded by reiterating his stance on open debate while sharply criticizing opposing policy positions: “Now let me say again Mr President I don’t hate anybody This America I sure don’t hate congresswoman She entitled her opinion but I’m entitled mine she can criticize my policy positions but I’m entitled criticize hers And I’m here tell you Mr President front God country based on her policy positions she demanding … American people looking at congresswoman saying with respect ‘She must be bilingual; she must speak English and stupid.’”
