[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 174 (Tuesday, October 21, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7178-S7179]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Government Funding
Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, we are now on week four of Republicans
insisting that they would rather keep the government shut down than
talk about how we can stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing.
In a sign of how serious Republicans are taking all this, House
Republicans are still not even here. They are still on a vacation that
has now lasted over a month. Senate Republican leaders are still
refusing to sit down with us and do anything other than pull the same
failed vote on their partisan bill over and over and over.
President Trump is gloating and lying about having more power than
ever. He is illegally mass firing people who do important work for the
American people. He is illegally hacking away at ``Democratic''
programs, and he is tweeting out more lies and truly obscene videos.
Let's be clear. President Trump does not have to fire people and
slash funding. He didn't do any of this during the last shutdown he
caused. Instead, Trump is choosing to cause pain and chaos because he
wants to use the American people as leverage. Meanwhile, he is doing
nothing about the fact that millions of Americans--the majority in red
States, by the way--are about to see their premiums double. Open
enrollment starts next week. In fact, it already began in Idaho. And
where are the Republicans? They are on week 4 of sticking their heads
in the sand. Again, House Republicans are not even here.
But, in a shock to no one, Republicans' ignoring reality has done
nothing to change it. That became even more obvious today, as health
plan window shopping started in my home State of Washington. It is
going on in many other States as well, which means that right now,
today, families are logging on and looking for plans for 2026 and
seeing the full cost of the Republicans' inaction.
For millions of families, they are seeing for the first time that
their premiums are going to double next year because Republicans are
refusing to act. For many families, it will be even worse: Premiums
will triple or even quadruple. I have heard from seniors not yet old
enough for Medicare who have learned that their premiums will jump by
more than $1,000 a month. I have heard from many small business owners
who are trying to figure out if they are going to give up on their
dream jobs or risk going without healthcare.
The Republicans' response is silence. The Republicans' solution is,
just wait.
To my colleagues, what are you talking about? Wait? Until what? Until
those premiums get locked in? Until people are officially priced out of
coverage?
The billionaires did not have to wait for their tax cuts. Republicans
made sure to pass that last July.
Why do working families have to wait for you to talk about
healthcare?
It is completely absurd to me that Republicans are trying to say that
they won't talk about this during a shutdown, but ``Trust us because,
later, we may possibly think about or talk about something that is
going to be way too late.''
It is just not credible for Republican leaders to insist that they
won't talk about healthcare until the shutdown ends. After all, they
wouldn't talk about it before the shutdown. As a matter of fact, I
think they have talked about healthcare more during the shutdown than
they have all year. They have been ignoring this issue. And their only
offer to Democrats right now is to say we should ignore it too? No
deal. I will not ignore my constituents.
And to my Republican colleagues: I won't let you ignore yours either.
So join us at the table, and let's get serious about ending this
shutdown and stopping those premiums from skyrocketing.
I have heard from families and small businesses in Washington State
about how painful this is going to be. I have also heard from my
neighbors in Idaho and Montana. Why is it so hard for Republican
leaders to listen to these stories? Why is it so hard for them to
listen to the voices of their constituents?
We saw that same issue with the protests last weekend. The No Kings
protests were possibly the most massive,
[[Page S7179]]
peaceful day of action in our Nation's history. From city to city,
large and small, images poured in of massive crowds--a grassroots
movement with handmade signs, colorful outfits, and Americans of every
stripe.
Out in the crowds, you could see parents who were out to protest with
kids on their shoulders, showing the next generation that this is how
we make our voices heard in this country--loudly, proudly, and
peacefully. You could see seniors out marching, determined to stand up
for the rights they have cherished for decades and to stop this country
from becoming something they no longer recognize. You could see young
adults getting together with their friends, getting involved, and
exercising their birthright as Americans to have a say in the future of
this country.
It was an inspiring celebration of how we advocate for change in this
country. Americans from every walk of life, in every stage of life,
from every corner of our country, came together to speak with one voice
and send one message: No Kings. That is about as fundamentally American
as it gets.
Yet how did my colleagues across the aisle respond to these people,
many of them their own constituents? Republicans spent weeks slandering
peaceful protesters. They spent weeks saying this was a ``hate
America'' rally. They actually said that repeatedly and proudly to the
press.
Do you think those kids hate America, or those seniors? Do you think
they hate America or that your constituents hate America?
That is disgraceful. Republicans who spouted those lies should
apologize.
Let's not forget President Trump's response because it deserves to
live in shame for all of history. The President of the United States
responded to peaceful protesters across this country with a video of
himself wearing a crown, driving a fighter jet, and bombing peaceful
protesters with human waste. Are you kidding me? No one over there says
anything about this? That is shameful.
Speaker Johnson said he thinks Trump is being an effective
communicator. Really? What on Earth is effective about the President of
the United States dropping waste on American families and seniors and
our cities?
It was a vulgar, ugly, and fundamentally unstable display. It was in
many ways a perfect mirror reflection of those peaceful protests
because President Trump's response of showing himself donning a crown,
soaring above the common people, and dropping waste on American cities
and peaceful protesters is as fundamentally un-American as it gets.
So when are Republicans going to apologize for smearing peaceful
protesters? When are they going to apologize for saying this weekend
was a ``hate America'' rally? When are they going to apologize for all
the rhetoric saying Democrats are terrorists? While we are at it, tell
us when they are going to criticize Trump's completely unhinged
response. What is it going to take to tell President Trump he crossed a
line?
Millions of people can peacefully--peacefully--protest, and
Republican leaders will slander it for weeks as a ``hate America''
rally, but there is not a squeak of criticism for the President of the
United States fantasizing about bombing people with feces.
Republicans may be determined to cover their ears when it comes to
our families who are speaking out about this healthcare crisis, and
they may be determined to cover their eyes when it comes to Trump's
tweeting out unhinged, un-American, AI slop, but Democrats are not
going to let them cover up the truth. We are not going to let them
ignore this healthcare crisis, and we are going to continue to speak
out and lift up the stories of our families in their States and in
ours. We will remain at the table, ready to work on real solutions to
end this shutdown and address this healthcare crisis.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.