Senator Mullin on Government Shutdown: Democrats Prioritize Primaries Over Reopening

Government Shutdown Stalemate

• 🎯 Senator Mullin states that the current government shutdown is due to Democrats being more concerned about their primary elections than reopening the government.
• ⚠️ He criticizes the Democrats for not negotiating on a clean CR (Continuing Resolution) that contains no Republican policies.
• 💡 The core issue, according to Mullin, is that Democrats are unwilling to vote for a clean CR, which he argues is the simple solution to reopen the government.

Healthcare Policy and ACA

• 🏥 Mullin expresses that he would not support extending Obamacare subsidies in their current form, as Democrats chose to make them expire.
• 🗣️ He suggests that if a broader conversation about affordable healthcare is desired, President Trump should be involved in negotiations.
• 📉 The senator points out that the ACA has not worked as intended, with rising premiums and costs for prescription drugs and policies since its inception.

Federal Worker Pay and Essential Services

• 💰 While acknowledging a bill to pay essential workers, Mullin states that all federal workers should be paid.
• 🤝 He reiterates that reopening the government via a CR vote would resolve this issue and allow all employees to return to work.
• ❓ Mullin questions the Democrats' motives if they are not fighting to reopen the government, suggesting they might be trying to keep agencies like the EPA closed.

Filibuster Discussion

• 🚫 Senator Mullin does not support nuking the filibuster, emphasizing its historical role in slowing government overreach.
• ⚖️ He believes the filibuster is beneficial when a party is in the minority and hopes it remains to preserve the Senate's function.
• ⚠️ He might consider an extremely limited use of filibuster reform only to avoid future shutdowns, but not to eliminate it entirely.