Senate Republicans warn Democrats are setting a dangerous precedent in the shutdown fight

Senate Republicans are concerned about the precedent Senate Democrats have set for future funding fights as the shutdown continues into its 20th day.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the Democratic caucus dug deeper into their demand for an extension of the expiration of Obamacare subsidies and worked to shift the narrative from a battle over government funding to a brawl over health care.

But it’s been more than three weeks since Schumer and Democrats blocked Republicans’ first attempt to pass the GOP’s Continuing Resolution (CR). And since then, there has been no sign that Democrats are willing to back down on their demands.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the Democratic caucus have deepened their call for an extension of the expiration of Obamacare subsidies. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)

“I think Schumer has kind of destroyed the institution of the Senate,” Sen. Rick Scott, Republican of Florida, told Fox News Digital. “He’s done it, you know, whether it’s because of what he’s done with the candidates or with this shutdown. I think he’s made the government unmanageable. So, I hope that’s not how we continue to operate.”

Informal talks between the parties have seen ups and downs during the shutdown, but neither side is any closer to an exit than they were when the first vote failed late last month.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Republican of Oklahoma, participated in those talks but noted that this week they were fading. Asked if he was concerned that Democrats’ shutdown posture could repeat itself in the future, he told Fox News Digital: “I can’t worry about their position.”

“It doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “If there was a strategy behind this, OK, let’s go, we can figure out how to move them. But there’s no strategy. It’s just like, burn everything down.”

Senate Republicans now view Democrats’ shutdown stance as a hostage situation, with no real grounds for negotiation before the government reopens.

“We can’t negotiate with them until we come out of the shutdown,” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told Fox News Digital. “You can’t hold the government hostage. And that’s why it’s very important: We said we would work on all these different issues that they want to raise. But you can’t shut down the government, hold it hostage in a negotiation.”

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune holds a copy of a continuing resolution bill as he speaks alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson during a news conference in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, October 3, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The informal talks, which Republicans are quick to note are not full-fledged negotiations, have produced something of an olive branch from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who has signaled to Senate Democrats that he will offer them a vote on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits if they vote to reopen the government.

But for the tenth time on Thursday, they blocked his efforts to turn the lights back on, and then hours later blocked a procedural move for lawmakers to consider the annual defense spending bill.

In both cases, Democrats wanted guarantees that Thune and the Republicans could not provide.

“Democrats, one day, will rue the day they did this, because we came up with an open appropriations process, a regular order, doing things that way,” Thune told Fox News Digital.

SENATE DEMS TANK GOP PLAN TO PAY TROOPS AND FUND PENTAGON AS SHUTDOWN COMES ON DAY 16

Sen. Bernie Moreno, Republican of Ohio, wants to add a new tax to lawmakers’ salaries to ensure that members of Congress also feel the pain of a government shutdown. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“I think it’s unfortunate, but it’s a reality that we face,” he continued. “And I hope they change their minds and realize that it’s in everyone’s best interest to at least try to open up government and then start working and funding government the old-fashioned way.”

Many Republicans are hoping that after the “No Kings” rally in Washington, D.C., this weekend, Senate Democrats might change their minds.

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But others see it as a performative opportunity for congressional Democrats to show they are fighting back against President Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

“In general, if you reward bad behavior, you get more bad behavior,” Sen. Bernie Moreno, Republican of Ohio, told Fox News Digital. “That’s basically what the Democrats are doing. They’re pretending that President Trump wasn’t elected last November. That’s basically the whole fight, because they have the idiots that are going to be here on Saturday, so they have to show the idiots that they’re fighting.”