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Senators Mullin and Lee blame Schumer as shutdown debate centers on immigration, spending and federal pay
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Summary
U.S. Sens. Markwayne Mullin and Mike Lee told a televised interview that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is blocking a short-term spending measure, framing the standoff around immigration provisions, a $1.5 trillion funding figure and the effect on federal and military pay.
U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma and U.S. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah said on a televised segment that Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer is holding up a short-term spending measure and that Democratic objections center on immigration-related language.
Mullin said, "Schumer's holding it up." He argued opponents want to restore language from earlier legislation that would, in his words, cut waste or prevent undocumented immigrants from receiving some federal benefits. Mullin added the measure under debate would open the government for four weeks while increasing borrowing, saying it would require "$1,500,000,000,000" more and that "we don't have the money."
Lee framed the dispute as a political replay of lost legislative fights. "They have terrible policies. Those terrible policies cause them to lose elections," he said, arguing Democrats are trying to relitigate past defeats. Lee also warned that a shutdown would shift certain authorities to the president and give the executive branch discretion over which agencies and employees are deemed "essential."
The senators discussed operational effects if a shutdown occurs. Mullin and Lee noted that military and federal pay dates create pressure: one senator cited upcoming payroll dates on the "fifteenth and sixteenth" when military and federal paychecks would be due and warned those funds "won't be there" if a funding measure is not enacted. Both said prior shutdowns had given presidents greater discretion over agency operations.
Host Adeel asked whether the debate over immigration benefits and Medicaid cuts is central to the standoff. In response, one senator said the portion of funding that would reach undocumented immigrants is small compared with funding for U.S. citizens, a point another commentator in the segment echoed by referencing Ro Khanna but attributed as an observation rather than a formal citation.
Both senators predicted the standoff would end once political pressure or a triggering event occurred. Mullin said there is "always a point that causes you to have to come to the table," and Lee estimated the impasse would be resolved before payroll dates. The interview included references to prior shutdowns in 2017 and 2018 and to Russell Vought at the Office of Management and Budget as a figure preparing for a shutdown response.
The segment did not include any formal legislative action, motions, or votes. It was an interview in which the two senators offered analysis and predictions about ongoing negotiations over a continuing resolution and related budget language.
