Connecticut senator on hostage release and government shutdown

WASHINGTON (CBS, KYMA) - Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday about the expected release of the hostages, and asked if it's a "clear win."

"It's really important that we have a cease fire. It's important that these hostages are coming home, and I congratulate the negotiators on getting this done. There's, there's no politics about this moment, as you're going to see some very tearful reunions tomorrow, hopefully as these hostages are released. But you watch those devastating images of what Gaza looks like today, and it's both heartbreaking and infuriating that this deal has been on the table for over a year. And it's been Benjamin Netanyahu, because of his political considerations domestically, trying to protect himself, has frustrated the ability to find peace and to get the hostages home far before today. So again, this will be a good week, but as you have reported, there are big issues to come. Israel is not fully pulling out of Gaza. There is no clear path forward on what the security and governance force is going to look like inside that country. There is certainly a risk of hostilities beginning again if we don't build on this first phase and come to some decisions about what Gaza looks like heading into next year."

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)

During the interview, Brennan and Senator Murphy talked about the continued government shutdown and its effects.

According to Brennan, Murphy called on his Democratic colleagues to "stiffen their spines to stand up to the president of the United States," prompting her to ask at what point does this become too much "in terms of the cost of the shutdown," and "when are Democrats going to show some flexibility on it," to which Murphy said:

"The fact is because there's no negotiations happening right now because Republicans are boycotting those negotiations. They are boycotting negotiations to reopen the government because they are desperate to raise premiums on people in this country by 75% in order to finance their tax cut for the wealthy. Their only priority is protecting the billionaire class and the corporate class. The other reason the House of Representatives isn't in town right now trying to reopen the government, because they are about to have enough votes to pass a resolution mandating the release of the Epstein files. So JD Vance and Donald Trump's number one priority is protecting billionaires, protecting corporations and raising premiums, raising health care costs by 75% on American citizens. So yes, I think that Democrats should say if you want our votes for a budget, it can't be a corrupt budget. It can't be a budget that is going to devastate the lives of middle class families in this country in order to protect and reward billionaires. That's a pretty reasonable request."

Murphy goes on to add, "The only way you can solve a shutdown is to have two parties that are in Washington negotiating. This is pretty simple."

To watch more of Brennan's interview with Murphy, click here.