U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is asked questions by reporters before returning to his office at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 15, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) got heated during a debate on Wednesday over a bill to end the government shutdown, according to a new report.
CBS News reported on Wednesday that lawmakers debated a measure filed by Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) that would fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, otherwise known as food stamps, and WIC, a federal food security program that supports women with infant children. Lujan asked that the measure be passed by unanimous consent.
"We have tried to do that 13 times, and you voted no 13 times!" Thune shouted, pointing across the chamber at Lujan, according to CBS News. "This isn't a political game. These are real people's lives that we are talking about. And you all have just figured out, 29 days in, oh, that there might be some consequences?"
Thune's heated comments come at a time when polling shows the public largely blames Republicans for the government shutdown. A recent YouGov poll conducted on Tuesday of nearly 4,000 adults found that 34% of respondents blamed Republicans for the shutdown.
Another 55% of respondents said they disapproved of President Donald Trump's handling of the shutdown as well.
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