State Dept slams Dems over shutdown, warns of national security risks

FIRST ON FOX: Secretary Marco Rubio’s State Department lashed out at Democrats over the federal government shutdown and exposed the hypocrisy of former State Department officials, highlighting how damaging a shutdown was for the country.

The federal government is almost three weeks to be closed as many government employees received partial pay during the last pay period and are at risk of losing full pay in the coming days.

“President Trump is striking a historic peace deal upon a historic peace deal,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Fox News Digital. “Congressional Democrats are implementing a lockdown that undermines our national security.”

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The State Department has highlighted the national security risks that arise from the government shutdown. (John McDonnell/Getty Images)

The blockage in Washington lies in the Senate, where Democrats are insisting that Republicans overturn Medicaid policy changes that were enacted under the law. President Donald Trump‘s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Senate Democrats will have to break with Minority Leader Chuck SchumerDN.Y., in order to surpass the 60-vote threshold required to pass a continuing resolution that would reopen the government until the end of November.

“Democrats in Congress have decided to jeopardize our national security with their government shutdown for political reasons” a State Department official told Fox News Digital.

“Republicans on Capitol Hill are ready to move forward with a clean, continuing resolution, but instead Democrats are trying to exploit this moment to promote their pet policy projects like health care for illegal immigrants, continued wasteful COVID payments, and harmful climate extremism,” the State Department official added.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks at the U.S. Capitol after the Senate Democratic policy luncheon Oct. 7, alongside Sen. Amy Klobuchar, as the government shutdown continues. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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Republicans currently hold 53 seats in the Senate, although Senators. John Fetterman, D-Pa.and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., crossed the aisle and voted to reopen the government in some of the ten previous failed votes.

“By putting the American people last, Democrats are forcing the American people to have a State Department with limited diplomatic engagement around the world, significantly reduced communications, and disruptions that will impact American foreign policy,” the report said. State Department official explained to Fox News Digital. “While we will make every effort to ensure critical missions continue, Democratic obstruction will have serious consequences for the national security interests of the United States,” the official continued.

President Mike Johnson, left, and President Donald Trump, right, have taken different approaches to presenting federal cuts amid the current government shutdown. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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The State Department also noted comments from previous administrations that undermine Democrats’ messaging regarding the shutdown.

“A self-inflicted wound, like the shutdown we just suffered, can never happen again,” former Secretary of State John Kerry said in October 2013. “Like President Obama said, the shutdown “encouraged our enemies…emboldened our competitors and depressed our friends who look to us for stable leadership.”

“I believe that those who obstruct [of a resolution] We need to think long and hard about the message we send to the world when we fail to get our act together,” Kerry said of the 2013 shutdown.

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Former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton also highlighted the detrimental effects of the 2013 government shutdown, saying “the partial government shutdown is emblematic of the fact that too many in politics are choosing scorched earth over common ground.”

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has criticized government shutdowns in the past. (Getty Images)

“We cannot let partisanship trump citizenship,” Clinton said during the Great Names of Sacerdote speech in 2013.

Ancient Secretary of State Antony Blinkenwho served under the Biden administration, said “if we are serious about American leadership in the world, we cannot continue to operate without knowing whether we will have a budget for the next fiscal year, which will require us to impose harmful budget cuts and a hiring freeze,” during last year’s spending battles.

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No date has yet been set for an additional vote on a resolution to extend government funding, although Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said additional votes could occur this week.

Preston Mizell is a writer for Fox News Digital covering breaking news. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston