John Thune Reflects on 2013 Government Shutdown and Lessons Learned

Lessons from the 2013 Government Shutdown

• 🎯 Republicans are reflecting on the 2013 government shutdown, where they refused to pass a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) to defund the Affordable Care Act.
• 💡 The experience taught them that when trying to add new provisions, the party advocating for them often gets blamed for a shutdown.
• 🔑 A key lesson learned is that major policy changes are not the place for Continuing Resolutions, a sentiment echoed by Chris Murphy in 2013.

Current Legislative Strategy

• 📊 The current situation involves a bill passed by the House, acceptable to the President, and expected to receive Republican votes, requiring Democratic support to pass.
• ⚠️ Democrats are attempting to use leverage to add significant new spending, which Republicans state will not happen, and they will not shut down the government over it.
• 🗣️ The strategy from the Democratic side is described as a partisan political attempt to score points with their base by opposing President Trump's agenda.

Republican Stance on New Spending

• 🚫 Republicans will not add a trillion dollars in new spending and expect Democrats to explain why they would shut down the government over it.
• ❌ Any bill sent by Democrats that includes provisions voted down by the Republican House is considered not serious and unlikely to pass.
• 🔍 The current negotiation is characterized as a partisan political maneuver rather than a serious negotiation.