New York Republicans pressure Democratic senators to end government shutdown

FIRST ON FOX: Republicans in New York’s congressional delegation are pressuring their two Democratic senators to end the current government shutdown, calling their opposition to the GOP funding bill “radical and harmful” to Empire State residents.

The government shutdown has entered its eleventh day and Republicans and Democrats still cannot agree on a path forward. Thousands of public workers, including members of the military and federal law enforcement, are expected to miss their first paycheck next week unless there is a breakthrough.

“You have abdicated your responsibility to New Yorkers. By consistently voting against the Continuing Resolution (CR), you have shut down the government with no desire to reopen operations,” seven House Republicans wrote to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.

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“Throughout your two decades in federal office, you have consistently supported clean CRs as a way to keep government funded and open until Congress can pass bipartisan spending bills.”

Republicans accused their senators of changing course now “to spite President Trump and congressional Republicans,” and called it a “disservice to our nation and our institutions.”

“In fact, you have both expressed your past opposition to shutdowns and the dangers they pose to the American people,” they wrote.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer attends a press conference following a weekly Democratic policy luncheon at the Capitol October 7, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The letter is led by Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and is signed by the six other House Republicans representing parts of New York: Reps. Nick Langworthy, Nicole Malliotakis, Claudia Tenney, Nick LaLota, Elise Stefanik and Andrew Garbarino.

The House passed a measure to keep government funding at roughly equal levels through fiscal year 2025 through Nov. 21 — called a continuing resolution (CR) — on Sept. 19, mostly along partisan lines.

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Senator Kirsten Gillibrand speaks during a campaign event for New York Governor Kathy Hochul, November 6, 2022, at Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, NY. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, file)

But House and Senate Democrats were largely furious at being left out of negotiations over federal funding and are now demanding that any spending deal also include a COVID-19 pandemic-era extension. Enhanced Obamacare Subsidies which are set to expire at the end of this year.

Democrats have argued that failure to act now on these subsidies would lead to higher health care premiums for millions of Americans by the end of the year.

Republican leaders who control the House and Senate have said they are willing to lead negotiations on these grants, but insisted the CR must be “clean,” without any political elements. The CRs are intended to give congressional negotiators more time to reach a longer-term funding deal for fiscal year 2026, which began Oct. 1.

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Schumer had been under particular pressure from his left flank to resist the Republican Party’s plan after his vote was key to advancing the same bill in March, which extended federal funding levels for fiscal 2024 until September 30.

“Last year, in 2024, you stated that no reasonable member on either side of the aisle wanted a government shutdown. I agree, Senator, your position is now unreasonable,” Saturday’s letter from the House Republican Party read.

The CR has now failed seven times in the Senate. According to the most recent tallies, five more Democrats would be needed to cross the aisle and reach the Senate’s 60-vote threshold to break the filibuster and advance the bill to a final vote.

Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer and Gillibrand’s offices for a response, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.