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State and federal lawmakers react to government shutdown

By ,
October 1, 2025 7:42 AM
Published 9:18 AM

(KYMA, NBC) - Lawmakers across the country are sharing their reaction the government shutdown, which happened just after midnight Wednesday.

The shutdown began after Democratic and Republican leaders failed to agree on even a short-term deal to keep the government fully funded past the current fiscal year.

Hours before the government officially shut down, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) spoke with reporters saying "there is no way out" of a shutdown and nothing to negotiate from the GOP funding bill.

"It's stunning. I cannot believe that Chuck Schumer has done this. Really. We did our work in the house. We passed a clean CR I did not put partisan provisions on that we could have.

Chuck Schumer has decided to close the government down. Now he goes against everything he's ever said throughout his entire career, we're running the greatest hits tape with him going back to the mid 90s, where he was saying a shutdown was dangerous and disastrous and irresponsible, he's changed his tune, and everybody here knows why. You all know exactly what he's doing, because he's worried about his own political future. He thinks AOC is going to challenge him in his next Senate race, and he's going to be retired. He doesn't know how to do anything else. He's been in government his whole adult life, so he's desperate. He's making a personal, selfish decision to close the government, to give himself some sort of political cover."

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), Speaker of the House

Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) released a statement in response to the government shutdown saying:

"This shutdown didn't have to happen, but President Trump and Republicans in Congress decided they'd rather shut down the government than keep health premiums from spiking for millions of Americans.  

Our job is to get results for the American people. I know that we can find a solution that addresses rising health care costs and reopens the government quickly, and that's what I'll keep working on every day until we get it done."

Senator Kelly followed up in a series of posts on X saying in part, "We're in the first day of a government shutdown and we know the way out. Republicans have to work with Democrats because that's how our government works. We can end this shutdown today if they come to the table. That's my focus, what's theirs?"

Other lawmakers also shared their reaction to the shutdown:

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Dillon Fuhrman

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