NY Republicans pressure Democratic senators to end government shutdown

First on Fox: Republicans in New York’s congressional delegation are pressing two Democratic senators to end the ongoing government shutdown, calling their opposition to the GOP funding bill “extreme and harmful” to Empire State residents.

The government shutdown has entered its 11th day, and Republicans and Democrats still cannot agree on a path forward. Thousands of government employees, including members of the military and federal law enforcement officials, are set to lose their first paychecks next week if there is no relief.

Seven House Republicans wrote to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. “You have abdicated your responsibility to New Yorkers. By consistently voting against the Clean Continuing Resolution (CR), you have shut down the government with no desire to reopen operations.”

“Throughout my two decades in federal office, you have consistently supported clean business records as a way to keep the government funded and open until congress can pass bipartisan spending bills.”

Johnson raises his stakes on Schumer as the government closes the barrels in the third week

Republicans accused senators of changing course now “to spite President Trump and Republicans in Congress,” describing it as “harming our nation and our institutions.”

“Indeed, both of you have been vocal about your past opposition to lockdowns and the risks they pose to the American people,” they wrote.

The letter is headed by Rep. Mike Lawler, R-New York, and signed by six other House Republicans who represent parts of New York: Reps. Nick Langworthy, Nicole Malliotakis, Claudia Tenney, Nick Lalotta, Elise Stefanik, and Andrew Garbarino.

House passes Trump-backed plan to avoid a government shutdown

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand speaks at a campaign event for New York Governor Kathy Hochul, on November 6, 2022, at Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, New York (AP Photo/Patrick Szymanski, File)

The House passed a measure to keep government funding at roughly levels through fiscal year 2025 through Nov. 21 — called a continuing resolution (CR) — on Sept. 19, mostly along party lines.

But Democrats in the House and Senate have been largely angered by being sidelined in federal funding talks, and are now demanding that any spending deal also include an extension of the COVID-19 pandemic. Boosting Obamacare subsidies Which is scheduled to expire at the end of this year.

Democrats argued that failure to act on this support now would result in higher health care premiums for millions of Americans by the end of the year.

Republican leaders who control the House and Senate said they were willing to negotiate those subsidies, but insisted that the Czech Republic must be “clean” without any political prosecution. The CRs are intended to give congressional negotiators more time to reach a long-term financing agreement for fiscal year 2026, which began on October 1.

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Schumer has been under particular pressure from his left flank to resist the GOP plan after his vote was key to helping advance the same bill in March, which extended federal funding levels for fiscal year 2024 through September 30.

“Just last year in 2024, you said that no reasonable member on both sides of the aisle wants to shut down the government. I agree, Senator, your position now is unreasonable,” the House GOP letter on Saturday said.

CR has now failed in the Senate seven times. Under the latest statistics, five more Democrats would be needed to cross the aisle and meet the 60-vote threshold in the Senate to break a filibuster and advance the bill to a final vote.

Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer and Gillibrand’s offices for a response but had not received a response by press time.