Sean Duffy, Mike Johnson Unload on Chuck Schumer Over Shutdown Politics, Nail What the Real Issue Is – RedState

We’re approaching the one-year anniversary of the start of Schumer’s shutdown, with Democrats continuing to play politics by essentially holding the government hostage over “free” health care for illegal immigrants and demanding to extend the “additional” Obamacare subsidies put in place during the Biden-Harris administration beyond the end of the year.

As RedState reported, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05) said the quiet part of the Democratic strategy out loud in a recent interview, saying that “the shutdowns are terrible and, of course, there are going to be, you know, families who are going to suffer. We take that responsibility very seriously. But it’s one of the few pieces of leverage we have.”

Clark’s comments follow those of Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who two weeks ago proclaimed that “every day gets better for us” in response to questions about the Democrats’ harmful shutdown strategy. This strategy does not allow our troops to get paid or low-income mothers to help feed their children.

LEARN MORE: Top Dem Gives ‘Leverage’ Play on Schumer Shutdown, Makes Vile Admission About Suffering Families

As we’ve reported, another group that has been heavily impacted by Schumer’s shutdown is air traffic controllers, who are considered “essential workers.” Some of them have called in sick as the shutdown drags on, leading to significant delays at some airports, as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged.

But on Thursday, during a press conference at the House GOP Conference alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-04), Duffy addressed Schumer and other Senate Democrats, focusing on what he sees as the real issue at play here: The Democratic Party has been hijacked by its radical base, which they know will try to punish them in primaries, something we’re already seeing happen in some elections across the country:

.@SecDuffy: “The Democrats have a radical base, a base that is out of control… If they vote for open government, they are going to be primary, they are going to be attacked… The Democrats are worried about their own skin and they have sold out the country to the most radical elements… pic.twitter.com/7l2XRl2pmL

– USDOT Rapid Response (@USDOTRapid) October 23, 2025

In another clip, Duffy noted that “next Tuesday” will be the day of the first paycheck the ATC will not receive due to the shutdown. He correctly observed that some of them had to consider taking a second job to feed their families and pay their bills, while they worked five and sometimes six days a week to help control U.S. airspace.

.@SecDuffy: “If you have a controller who works six days a week but has to think about how am I going to pay the mortgage, how am I going to make the car payment, how am I going to put food on the table for my kids… They have to make choices and the choices they make are to take a… pic.twitter.com/RAXkkRmwDj

– USDOT Rapid Response (@USDOTRapid) October 23, 2025

Air traffic controllers started sharing their ZERO DOLLAR paychecks.

Democrats should be ashamed. pic.twitter.com/850B82F6B9

– USDOT Rapid Response (@USDOTRapid) October 23, 2025

Johnson made a similar point to Duffy during a Thursday interview on CNBC, and in this tweet:

After this weekend’s “Hate America” ​​rallies, co-sponsored by the Communist Party, I thought he would finally do the right thing. But he’s still too terrified of his radical base – even admitting that he WILL KEEP the government shut down while hard-working Americans suffer.

Chuck Schumer has been in Congress for 44 years and has ALWAYS voted to keep the government open – including voting yes on THIS SAME FUNDING BILL just 7 months ago.

After this weekend’s “Hate America” ​​rallies, co-sponsored by the Communist Party, I thought he would finally do the right thing… pic.twitter.com/J5gWyajBKG

– President Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) October 23, 2025

Chuck Schumer is terrified that Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) will try to give him the primary in 2028. So, to appease the far-left base that he drove crazy in March by giving in to the Republicans on the current resolution, he is allowing the lockdown to continue while claiming that “every day gets better for us.”

If that isn’t depraved and utterly emblematic of what the modern Democratic Party is right now, I don’t know what is.

Editor’s Note: Schumer’s closure is here. Rather than putting the American people first, Chuck Schumer and radical Democrats forced a government shutdown on health care for illegal immigrants. They own that.

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