If you’re getting déjà vu, you’re not alone. Just a few days ago, I wrote “Should Republicans Kill the Filibuster to End the Shutdown?”, arguing that Republicans should resist the temptation to “nuke” the filibuster and instead hold the line. I said that patience, principle, and persistence would win out over procedural shortcuts. And this weekend, it did. Senate Democrats blinked. The longest shutdown in American history is finally nearing its end, and the GOP walks away with both the moral high ground and the practical victory.
On Sunday night, the Senate floor turned into political theater at its finest. Chuck Schumer delivered what can only be described as a full-blown meltdown—raising his voice, waving his arms, and accusing President Trump of everything from cutting food aid to building “gold-plated toilets.” He claimed the GOP was taking “the American people hostage,” but the real hostage situation was inside his own caucus. Minutes later, eight Democrats—including John Fetterman and Tim Kaine—defied him and voted with Republicans to break the filibuster and advance a funding bill. The very filibuster Schumer tried to weaponize became the instrument of his party’s surrender.
Fox News reported live that the vote hit the critical 60-vote threshold, signaling that the shutdown was effectively over. Even mainstream outlets admitted Democrats had “split wide open.” Progressives like Bernie Sanders called it “a policy disaster.” House leader Hakeem Jeffries vowed to “fight on,” while Schumer promised to “continue the struggle”—but no amount of defiant floor speeches can hide what just happened. The Democratic filibuster collapsed. The government will reopen. And the Republicans didn’t have to give up a single rule to make it happen.
This wasn’t just a win—it was a validation of strategy. Republicans held their ground for forty-one days, endured the media outrage, and refused to cave to panic. They didn’t dismantle Senate tradition; they used it. They let Democrats tire themselves out behind closed doors while the country watched and waited. In the end, the side that stayed calm won.
The result also exposed the widening crack inside the Democratic Party. The so-called “party of unity” spent the night attacking itself on social media. Bernie Sanders accused moderates of betraying the cause. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez scolded her colleagues for “folding to Trump.” Gavin Newsom called the deal “pathetic.” Meanwhile, Trump was focused on reopening the government, paying workers, and restoring stability. It’s a tale of two parties—one governing, one grumbling.
To put it simply, Democrats thought Trump would blink first. They assumed he’d cave under media pressure or public fatigue. Instead, he stayed firm, backed by a Republican Senate that kept its discipline. The final irony? The same Democrats who spent weeks blocking a clean continuing resolution are now celebrating a nearly identical one—minus the Obamacare subsidies they once called “non-negotiable.”
This moment also proves the wisdom of restraint. If Republicans had scrapped the filibuster in frustration, Democrats would already be plotting to use that power for themselves—pushing statehood for D.C. and Puerto Rico, packing the Supreme Court, and rewriting election laws to secure permanent control. By staying patient, the GOP preserved both the republic’s guardrails and its own credibility.
Schumer’s speech may have been emotional, but it was also revealing. His rhetoric was apocalyptic because he knew the fight was lost. Theatrics can’t hide the numbers: the votes weren’t there, the pressure was building, and even his allies wanted out. When the history of this shutdown is written, it won’t be remembered for Schumer’s speeches—it’ll be remembered for the night Democrats surrendered to reality.
The takeaway is simple. Republicans kept their heads when everyone else was losing theirs. They protected Senate rules, reopened the government, and proved that patience is still a form of power. Democrats gambled on chaos; Republicans bet on calm. And once again, calm won.
A.F. Branco Cartoon – Schumer and the Democrats are denying SNAP benefits as leverage against Republicans during the Schumer shutdown.
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DISGUSTING: Democrat Sen. Chris Coons ADMITS Denying Americans Their SNAP Benefits Is “Unpleasant” But “Worth It” Because It Gives Democrats Political “Leverage”
By Jim Hoft – The Gateway Pundit – Oct 28, 2025
Democrat Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) has finally let the cat out of the bag, admitting on national television that his party is willing to starve hardworking American families and deny them critical SNAP benefits, all in the name of grabbing “leverage” in their endless war against President Trump’s pro-America agenda. During Friday’s broadcast of C-SPAN’s “Ceasefire,” Coons didn’t even try to hide his party’s ruthless tactics amid the ongoing Schumer shutdown. With Republicans firmly in control of the House, Senate, and White House after the American people’s resounding mandate in 2024, Coons whined that this shutdown “is our only moment of leverage.” READ MORE
A.F. Branco has taken his two greatest passions (art and politics) and translated them into cartoons that have been popular all over the country in various news outlets, including NewsMax, Fox News, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, and “The Washington Post.” He has been recognized by such personalities as Rep. Devin Nunes, Dinesh D’Souza, James Woods, Chris Salcedo, Sarah Palin, Larry Elder, Lars Larson, Rush Limbaugh, Elon Musk, and President Trump.
Every so often, a politician says the quiet part out loud — and this week, it was Democratic Minority Whip Katherine Clark. During an interview with Fox News, Clark admitted that the suffering American families endure during the government shutdown is being used as leverage by Democrats. Her words: “It is one of the few leverage times we have.”
That’s right. The party that claims to “fight for working families” is openly admitting they’re willing to use those same families as bargaining chips. Meanwhile, paychecks for active-duty military, border agents, and federal workers hang in the balance — all so Democrats can try to score political points against a newly elected Republican majority.
Elections Have Consequences
Let’s be clear: elections have consequences. The American people went to the polls and voted for a Republican-controlled House and Senate because they wanted a course correction — less spending, more accountability, and some sanity in Washington.
But instead of respecting that outcome, Democratic leaders are throwing a political tantrum. They’ve blocked Republican funding bills not once, not twice, but repeatedly — even when those bills included pay for the troops and essential federal employees. Apparently, “democracy” only counts when Democrats win.
The “Leverage” Logic That Hurts Working Families
Think about that word — leverage. It’s a term you’d expect to hear in a boardroom, not from elected officials talking about Americans who can’t pay rent because their government paycheck hasn’t arrived. When Clark and her colleagues say “leverage,” they mean real people’s pain — service members, air traffic controllers, border agents, and law enforcement officers who show up to protect this country even when their checks don’t. Democrats are using those same Americans as pawns, all while claiming the moral high ground. It’s political theater at its worst — and hardworking citizens are stuck paying the ticket price.
Fetterman Breaks Rank — And Brings Common Sense
Senator John Fetterman — lately known for breaking with his party — sees the problem. Fetterman said plainly that he’ll “always vote to pay the military over the party.” It’s rare to hear a Democrat choose country over politics, but at least someone on that side of the aisle remembers what duty looks like.
The Double Standard on Display
Let’s not forget when Republicans even hinted at delaying a spending bill in the past, Democrats and their media allies screamed about “holding the government hostage.” But now, with Democrats using a shutdown as political leverage? Crickets. Apparently, it’s only a “crisis” when Republicans do it.
And while ordinary Americans are tightening belts and waiting for Washington to wake up, lawmakers are still getting paid. Maybe if Congress missed a few paychecks of their own, “leverage” would suddenly feel a lot less appealing.
What This Shutdown Really Reveals
The shutdown fight isn’t just about numbers on a budget spreadsheet — it’s about priorities. Republicans are trying to fund the government responsibly, pay our troops, and keep essential services running. Democrats, on the other hand, are focused on using the pain of the American people to “negotiate.”
It’s a clear message: when power is on the line, your paycheck is just another tool in the political toolbox.
Time to Stop the Games
If Democrats really cared about working Americans, they’d stop blocking clean funding bills and stop treating the military like bargaining chips. Republicans have given them chance after chance to do the right thing. Instead, Democrats are doubling down on the idea that pain equals power — and it’s shameful.
This shutdown isn’t about principle anymore. It’s about pride, politics, and preserving control. The American people deserve better than being used as “leverage.”
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during a news conference on Dec. 10, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images)
The current battle in Congress over the continuing resolution to fund the government is a fight worth having to stop the bloated spending of the federal government—spending that increases our unsustainable, monumental debt; funds dangerous and unnecessary government programs; and keeps unaccountable bureaucrats in office whose goal in life is to control our lives from birth to death. This article, originally published in 2013 during a previous budget fight, illustrates that the government never really shuts down. Crucial services for national security and law enforcement will continue even if no continuing resolution is approved, as will payments for Social Security and veterans’ benefits. The rallying cry for concerned members of Congress trying to stop the federal government’s runaway spending should be the famous words of Captain John Paul Jones: “I have not yet begun to fight!”
Here is the article—and the lesson—from 2013:
If President Barack Obama “shuts down” the government by vetoing a continuing resolution, or CR, that funds all government operations with the exception of Obamacare, or the Senate fails to pass such a CR, crucial services will continue without interruption. That includes all services essential for national security and public safety—such as the military and law enforcement—as well as mandatory government payments such as Social Security and veterans’ benefits.
The key fact, as the U.S. Department of Justice itself has said, is that when there is a short-term lapse in appropriations, “the federal government will not be truly ‘shut down’ … because Congress has itself provided that some activities of government should continue.” In fact, any claims that not passing a CR will result in a “shutting down” of the government “is an entirely inaccurate description,” according to the DOJ.
Such a lapse in funding would be neither catastrophic nor unprecedented, but it would pare down government services to those most essential for “the safety of human life or the protection of property.” That would not include the hundreds of billions of dollars in the federal budget that are constantly squandered and wasted on frivolous, unnecessary, and unneeded programs.
What the Law Says
The effect of a veto of appropriated funding by the White House or the failure of the Senate to pass a CR is governed by the Constitution, federal law, DOJ legal opinions, and planning memoranda issued by the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Under Article I of the Constitution, “No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law.” This constitutional limitation is implemented by the federal Antideficiency Act, which makes it illegal for federal officials to spend money in excess of appropriations or to obligate the government to enter into contracts before an appropriation has been passed to pay for such a commitment. The Antideficiency Act also prohibits the federal government from accepting voluntary services, which is why federal employees (except those deemed “essential”) have to be furloughed—they cannot volunteer their services during a shutdown even if they want to. The act contains a very expansive exception, however, “for emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property.”
Although that exception has been broadly interpreted by the Office of Management and Budget and the DOJ to give executive agencies wide discretion over how to spend their remaining funds, the statute was amended by Congress in 1990 in response to a 1981 opinion issued by Attorney General Benjamin R. Civiletti to make it clear that the term emergenciesdoes “not include ongoing, regular functions of government, the suspension of which would not imminently threaten the safety of human life or the protection of property.”
A 1995 opinion by the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel over that amendment confirmed the earlier DOJ opinions, although it slightly narrowed the interpretation of “the safety of human life or the protection of property” to mean that they must be “compromised in some significant degree” by the lack of funding.
A 2011 Office of Management and Budget memorandum also confirmed that the executive branch still views those DOJ opinions as establishing the guidelines for the continued operation of the government during a lapse in funding. The Office of Management and Budget refers to those government functions that can continue to operate because they meet the emergency definition as “excepted” functions. Federal employees who “are needed for the performance of those ‘excepted’ functions” can continue to be employed even in the absence of a CR or an appropriations bill. In fact, the Office of Management and Budget says that federal employees can continue to work who are necessary not just to protect life and property but to perform activities “expressly authorized by law” or “necessarily implied by law,” an extremely broad standard.
Many ‘Essential’ Functions
As a recent report by the Congressional Research Service points out, an Office of Management and Budget memorandum from 1981 lays out examples of the many government functions of federal agencies that may continue during a funding lapse:
National security, including the conduct of foreign relations essential to the national security or the safety of life and property.
Benefit payments and the performance of contact obligations under no-year or multi-year appropriations or other funds remaining available for those purposes.
Medical care of inpatients and emergency outpatient care and activities essential for the safe use of food, drugs, and hazardous materials.
Air traffic control and other transportation safety functions.
Border and coastal protection and surveillance.
Protection of federal lands, buildings, waterways, and other property of the U.S.
Care of prisoners and others in federal custody.
Law enforcement and criminal investigations.
Emergency and disaster assistance.
Activities essential to the preservation of the money and banking system of the U.S., including borrowing and tax collection.
Production of power and maintenance of the power distribution system.
Protection of research property.
In its 2011 memorandum, the Office of Management and Budget also provided other instances of “excepted” situations where federal agencies would continue to function. For example, operations where a “statute or other legal requirement expressly authorizes an agency to obligate funds in advance of appropriations” such as a Civil War-era law that “provides authority to the Defense Department to contract for necessary clothing, subsistence, forage, fuel, quarters, transportation, or medical and hospital supplies” or another federal law authorizing the Bureau of Indian Affairs to continue to contract for goods and supplies.
The DOJ’s 1995 opinion again confirmed that essential government benefit payments continue because they operate “under indefinite appropriations provisions that do not require passage of annual appropriations legislation.” It pointed out that “Social Securityis a prominent example of a program that operates under an indefinite appropriation. In such cases, benefit checks continue to be honored by the Treasury, because there is no lapse in the relevant appropriation.”
And all government employees necessary to continue to make those benefit payments will continue to be employed to do so even though their salaries would normally be paid through the CR because they are “necessary to disburse the Social Security benefits that operate under indefinite appropriations.” This same rule would obviously apply to other such government benefits such as Medicare and for military veterans, as well as “the performance of emergency services that continue under that separate exception.”
The 2011 Office of Management and Budget memorandum confirmed that there would be no cessation in any government functions necessary for Obama to carry out his “constitutional duties and powers (e.g., commander in chief or conducting foreign relations).” So, for example, the president would be able to continue his very extensive (and very expensive) foreign travels in the interests of “conducting foreign relations,” even if he decides to cause a lapse in government funding with a veto of a CR.
Regarding the president’s duty as commander in chief, the Department of Defense has issued guidance outlining that “the legal authority for critical military operations to continue” is clear. Among the units and activities exempt from a funding lapse are “forward-based combat, combat support, and combat service support units.”
So, “operations such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan would continue, units preparing for deployment would carry on their training and other deployment preparations, and activities needed to support operations and training would continue.” There would also be no suspension or furlough of “units identified for deployment in plans for major regional contingencies” as well as “units assigned to carry out strategic nuclear operations.”
Recent History
There have been 17 funding gaps since 1977, ranging in duration from one to 21 days. In November 1995, when President Bill Clinton vetoed a CR and there was a funding gap for five days, only about 800,000 out of a total of 4.475 million federal employees were furloughed.
Only about 280,000 federal employees were furloughed during the December 1995 to January 1996 funding gap. During this time, the Social Security Administration initially retained about 5,000 employees and then called back an additional 50,000 employees within three days to continue paying benefits and processing new claims, keeping over 80% of the total employees of the agency employed despite the lack of a CR.
Not Much Shut Down
Based on past experience, one may safely conclude that a very large number of federal employees would continue to provide services during any government “shut down,” and essential services necessary to safeguard the country will continue, as will the crucial benefit payments on which many Americans depend.
But this would still not allow the full, continued implementation of Obamacare. As outlined in a prior Heritage Foundation issue brief, “Even if a government shutdown occurs without a defunding bill, while the administration may have some funding available from other sources to continue to implement parts of Obamacare that fall within exceptions to the ADA [Antideficiency Act], it would not be able to legally implement all of the many different parts of the law, and it is doubtful it would have the funds to implement all of the law.”
There are many parts of the law that could not be deemed “emergencies,” even under the broad reading given that term by the executive branch. And the more parts of the law that are stopped, the better off the American people will be.
A group of GOP hardliners joined Democrats in sinking House Republicans’ stopgap funding bill on Friday, significantly raising the chances of a government shutdown happening over the weekend. A procedural vote to advance the bill passed earlier in the day, but final passage failed on an 198 to 232 vote. Twenty-one Republicans voted against it, including Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.; Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.; and Nancy Mace, R-S.C., among others.
It’s a heavy blow to Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., whose leadership has faced public threats throughout the spending battle so far from some in the right flank of his conference.
Federal government funding expires at the end of the day on Sept. 30. If the House and Senate can’t strike a deal by then, a partial shutdown threatens to force all federal functions deemed “nonessential” to grind to a halt.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been dealing with an unruly GOP conference for much of his leadership so far.
A short-term funding extension, known as a continuing resolution (CR), is almost certainly needed to give lawmakers more time to cobble together 12 individual spending bills for fiscal year 2024.
But Republican leaders have had a hard time so far corralling their conference into some kind of agreement. A faction of conservatives have for weeks said they are opposed to any CR, arguing it would be an extension of the previous Democratically controlled Congress.
The House GOP’s CR proposal included an amendment to slash spending for its monthlong duration to fiscal 2022 levels, about $130 billion less than the current year’s. It also featured elements from House Republicans’ border security bill, and McCarthy said a new provision would mandate the creation of a bipartisan committee to study the federal debt.
McCarthy and his allies have tried to pressure the holdouts by accusing them of siding with Democrats and giving Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as well as the White House more leverage to pass government funding without conservative policy riders.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., was among nearly two dozen GOP lawmakers to vote against their party’s spending patch. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The speaker said before the vote on Friday morning, “Every member will have to go on record… Are they willing to secure the border or do they side with President Biden on an open border and vote against a measure to keep government open?”
House GOP lawmakers are huddling behind closed doors at 4 p.m. on Friday to discuss a path forward. McCarthy was asked after exiting the House floor if he has any plan in his back pocket after the CR failed. “Nothing right now,” he replied.
A government shutdown is all but assured now with no agreement on a short-term spending patch. The Senate is working on its own CR which would extend current funding levels for 45 days and include additional funding for Ukraine aid and U.S. disaster relief.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is pushing a bipartisan CR through his chamber. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
But a straightforward extension of the previous Congress’ spending priorities is a nonstarter for a significant chunk of House Republicans. McCarthy has also pledged not to bring a short-term spending bill that includes Ukraine funding to the floor.
McCarthy did say he was open to working with Schumer on a CR provided it includes border security measures.
Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie contributed to this report.
Elizabeth Elkind is a reporter for Fox News Digital focused on Congress as well as the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and politics. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
A.F. Branco has taken his two greatest passions, (art and politics) and translated them into the cartoons that have been seen all over the country, in various news outlets including “Fox News” and “The Washington Post.” He has been recognized by such personalities as James Woods, Dinesh D’Souza Sarah Palin, Larry Elder, Lars Larson, and even the great El Rushbo
“Nancy’s Wall of Resistance Against Trump” She could care less about the Federal workers, it’s all about her power and stopping Trump in 2020. That is the state of our union.
Pelosi says Trump is not welcome to give State of the Union Address at the House of Representatives due to security concerns caused by the shutdown, Trump responds by canceling her overseas trip for the same reason.
A.F. Branco has taken his two greatest passions, (art and politics) and translated them into the cartoons that have been seen all over the country, in various news outlets including “Fox News”, MSNBC, CBS, ABC and “The Washington Post.” He has been recognized by such personalities as James Woods, Sarah Palin, Larry Elder, Lars Larson, and even the great El Rushbo.
President Trump stays in Washington DC eager to make a deal as Democrats living it up at a Puerto Rico getaway while Federal employee’s go without a paycheck.
A.F. Branco has taken his two greatest passions, (art and politics) and translated them into the cartoons that have been seen all over the country, in various news outlets including “Fox News” and “The Washington Post.” He has been recognized by such personalities as James Woods, Sarah Palin, Larry Elder, Lars Larson, and even the great El Rushbo
Democrats are more worried about Government workers getting their checks on time than they are about American citizens being killed and victimized by criminals coming across the border.
A.F. Branco has taken his two greatest passions, (art and politics) and translated them into the cartoons that have been seen all over the country, in various news outlets including “Fox News”, MSNBC, CBS, ABC and “The Washington Post.” He has been recognized by such personalities as James Woods, Sarah Palin, Larry Elder, Lars Larson, and even the great El Rushbo.
A.F. Branco has taken his two greatest passions, (art and politics) and translated them into the cartoons that have been seen all over the country, in various news outlets including “Fox News”, MSNBC, CBS, ABC and “The Washington Post.” He has been recognized by such personalities as James Woods, Sarah Palin, Larry Elder, Lars Larson, and even the great El Rushbo.
President Donald Trump threatened to shut down the federal government in September if Democratic lawmakers continue their obstruction and “do not give us the votes for Border Security [and] … the Wall” along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“I would be willing to ‘shut down’ government if the Democrats do not give us the votes for Border Security, which includes the Wall! Must get rid of Lottery, Catch & Release etc. and finally go to system of Immigration based on MERIT! We need great people coming into our Country!”Trump tweeted Sunday.
“Build the Wall” on the U.S. border with Mexico was among Trump’s signature promises during his 2016 presidential bid, as he campaigned heavily on tighter immigration enforcement. But the nominally Republican Congress has struggled to reach any consensus on funding the border wall and implementing other key items on Trump’s immigration agenda.
Although Trump demanded action on immigration as part of Congress’ $1.3 trillion spending package, passed in March, he signed the bill without those measures to avoid a government shutdown. He warned at the time that he would never sign “another bill like this”again.
“There are a lot of things we shouldn’t have had in this bill, but we were, in a sense, forced if we want to build our military, we were forced to have,” Trump said in March. “There are some things we should have in the bill. But I say to Congress, I will never sign another bill like this again.”
With the federal fiscal year ending September 30, the president warned that he would accept nothing less than wall funding and the other three tough immigration reforms he has repeatedly asked Congress to enact. Trump also doubled down Sunday on defending his administration’s tough immigration enforcement policies amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the since-scrapped zero tolerance policy, which separated illegal immigrant children from their parents at the border.
“Please understand, there are consequences when people cross our Border illegally, whether they have children or not — and many are just using children for their own sinister purposes. Congress must act on fixing the DUMBEST & WORST immigration laws anywhere in the world! Vote ‘R,’” Trump tweeted, referring to the 2018 midterm elections and the GOP’s need to hold its congressional majority.
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Trump administration officials said Thursday that they had reunited all eligible children — a total of 1,442 — with their parents following a court order to do so. But more than 700 illegal immigrant children not “eligible” who aren’t eligible for reunification remained in federal custody as of Thursday.
The president’s renewed call for border wall funding, immigration reform, and strict enforcement measures came as Democrats appeared to be looking for a different campaign centerpiece from their recent calls to abolish the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday morning that a government shutdown would have a “terrible impact” on military operations.
“Our maintenance activities will probably pretty much shut down. We will not be able to induct any more of our gear that need maintenance,” he said Friday morning at the Johns Hopkins University, where he was unveiling the National Defense Strategy.
The government is barreling towards a shutdown at 11:59 p.m. Friday night, with the Senate unable to pass a 2018 spending bill or a stop-gap measure to keep the government running. At issue is immigration reform. Democrats have refusedto pass a spending measure unless there is a fix for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which the president rescinded last year, but gave Congress until March 5 to fix.
Republicans argue Democrats are willing to put the issue ahead of the U.S. military, which has been seriously affected by budget instability.
In the event of a shutdown, troops and some civilians will continue to report to work and accrue pay, but will not receive paychecks during the shutdown.
Mattis said half of his civilian workers would be furloughed, which would impact operations from contracting to military medical facilities.
“There is any number of projects we have underway that keep me at the top of my game and our military at the top of our game that are handled by civilians,” he said.
“It’s got a huge morale impact,” he added. “I’ll just tell you — how long can you keep good people around when something like this happens, is always a question that’s got to hover around in the back of my mind.”
He said intelligence operations would also be impacted.
“I would just tell you that we do a lot of intelligence operations around the world and they cost money. Those obviously would stop,” he said.
Troops themselves would also be impacted, Mattis said. While active duty troops would continue to report for duty during a shutdown, reservists would not report for duty For example, he said, “this morning or last night young guys and gals somewhere in Wyoming were driving off to do their weekend duty.”
“Those troops will arrive there at their armories, by the way, and told go home if there’s a government shutdown, and they will then drive a couple hundred miles back home. These again are stoic men and women, they’ll suck it up and say okay,” he said.
“And I would just tell you that training for almost our entire reserve force will stop and you must understand the critical importance of our reserves,” he said.
He called reserve troops the “only shock absorber”the U.S. military has.
“It’s not like the old days where you could draft somebody in and 18 weeks later have them in combat with the skills they need.
“Today’s infantrymen, they’re called infantrymen because they’re infant solders, young soldiers. They still take a year to train in order to have them ready to use the gear they have on them and make certain they have the ethical and tactical abilities to deal with the battlefield today,” he said.
“So it’s got a terrible impact.”
Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Dana White tweeted on Friday:
“The government shutdown is destructive and puts unnecessary stress on the already stressful jobs of our service members. Time to put the money where the votes are and write the check! #FY18budget #PassTheBudget.”
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