Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., told Breitbart News on Friday that he is “fearful” the Democrats’ inability to reach an agreement on a continuing resolution will “ruin Thanksgiving” for the growing number of Americans affected by the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The Senate on Friday failed to pass a bill to pay federal employees working without compensation during the shutdown, as Democrats opposed GOP efforts to fund parts of the government without securing major concessions.
Speaking to Breitbart host Alex Marlow, McCormick was asked, “Are the Democrats going to ruin Thanksgiving with the shutdown?” to which the senator replied, “I’m fearful they are.”
Friday’s vote failed 53–43, with three Democrats, Sens. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico and Georgia’s Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, joining Republicans in support.
McCormick noted that the shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history at 38 days, is impacting more than just the federal workers who have not been paid since September.
According to data from Cirium, over 1,700 flights have been canceled between Friday and Sunday as airlines begin a 4% decrease in domestic flights at 40 major airports, following the mandate from the Federal Aviation Administration.
“What’s starting to happen, it’s really starting to affect Pennsylvanians and Americans,” McCormick said. “People haven’t been paid for a long time. People working for the government are having to take out loans from their credit unions.”
He added that “airports are starting to dial back their services as the Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, works to ensure safety.”
McCormick also lamented that the shutdown has paused SNAP benefits for nearly two million Pennsylvanians.
“The pain is becoming clear,” he said. “Republicans have voted 14 times to reopen the government. My fellow senator from Pennsylvania, John Fetterman, a Democrat, and I have voted together. But politics aside, it never makes sense to shut down the government.”
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