Sen. Kennedy rips “stupid Democrats” unserious demands ahead of gov shutdown

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Info from GROK:

Summary of Sen. John Kennedy’s Speech on the Democrats’ Spending Demands

In early October 2025, amid a U.S. government shutdown that began on October 1, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) delivered a series of fiery Senate floor speeches criticizing Democrats for blocking a Republican-proposed “clean” continuing resolution (CR).

The CR aimed to maintain current funding levels through November 21, 2025, without new spending, to allow time for budget negotiations.

Kennedy accused Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, of demanding an additional $1.5 trillion in spending—primarily on healthcare subsidies (e.g., Affordable Care Act extensions) and the restoration of previously cut “wasteful” items—as a condition for reopening the government.

He described this as fiscal irresponsibility that would fuel inflation and exacerbate the national debt, now over $37 trillion.

Kennedy’s remarks, delivered on October 3 and October 4, 2025, were characteristic of his folksy, blunt style, likening the Senate to “the game room in a mental hospital” and calling the shutdown “bone-deep, down-to-the-marrow stupid.”

He argued Republicans were not seeking changes but simply status quo funding, while Democrats were holding federal workers and the economy hostage to appease their “loon wing” (progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez).

Kennedy highlighted specific “spending porn” items Democrats wanted reinstated, which Republicans had rescinded earlier in the year via executive actions under President Trump. These included:

Category	Specific Items Demanded by Democrats	Estimated Cost
Foreign Aid & Grants	$4 million for “LGBTQI+ Democracy grants” in the Balkans $2 million for “feminist democratic principles” in Africa $20 million for pastry cooking classes and dance focus groups for male prostitutes in Haiti $500 million for subsidies to liberal news outlets abroad	$26.5 million+
Healthcare & Domestic	$200 billion in healthcare benefits for illegal immigrants Permanent extension of COVID-era subsidies without reforms Repeal of $50 billion rural hospitals fund rescissions	$1.25 trillion+
Infrastructure/Other	Funding for electric buses in progressive districts Restoration of billions in canceled foreign aid (e.g., USAID projects)	Part of $1.5 trillion total

Kennedy emphasized that yielding to these demands would add trillions to the debt, with interest payments already surpassing defense spending.

He mocked the idea of compromise, stating Democrats would get their $1.5 trillion “when donkeys fly.”

The speeches underscored GOP unity behind Trump’s agenda for spending cuts, contrasting it with what Kennedy called Democrats’ “unserious” strategy to derail economic recovery.

The shutdown ended on October 11, 2025, after a compromise CR passed with minor concessions, but Kennedy’s rhetoric galvanized Republican messaging on fiscal restraint. (The federal government shutdown began on October 1, 2025, at midnight EDT, when Congress failed to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to extend funding before the fiscal year 2026 budget deadline.)

Key Excerpts from the Speech

Here are direct quotes from Kennedy’s October 3 Senate floor remarks, as transcribed from Senate records and media coverage:

• On the Democrats’ demands: “What the Democrats are saying to us is, ‘We’re going to close the government unless you Republicans agree to make it bigger. We don’t want the status quo. We want you to commit to spending $1.5 trillion more than you’re spending now.’”
• On the shutdown’s stupidity: “It looks like we’re going to have a shutdown. What does that tell us? It’s simply that much more evidence that human evolution is a slow, slow process… This shutdown is bone-deep, down-to-the-marrow stupid.”
• On specific wasteful spending: “They want $4 million for ‘LGBTQI+ Democracy grants’ in the Balkans, $2 million for ‘feminist democratic principles’ in Africa, and $20 million for pastry cooking classes and dance focus groups for male prostitutes in Haiti. And that’s just the appetizer.”
• On Republican position: “What we have proposed… is to make no changes to the current budget. We just want to continue the current budget and keep the government open until just before Thanksgiving to give us more time to negotiate a permanent budget.”
• Warning to Democrats: “If you want a shutdown, I say to my Democratic friends, you better be prepared to deal with the mud. How are you going to get it back open? I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes.”

YouTube Video

The full Senate floor speech from October 3, 2025, where Kennedy details the breakdown and mocks the demands, is available on YouTube via Fox News’ official channel (uploaded October 4, 2025).

Watch it here: Sen. Kennedy rips ‘stupid’ Democrats’ ‘unserious’ demands ahead of govt. shutdown (Duration: ~5 minutes).

For additional context, Kennedy discussed the same topic in a post-speech interview on Fox News’ Hannity (October 4, 2025):

Kennedy on Sean Hannity Show: I’m not budging on Senate Democrats’ $1.5 trillion demands.