Sen. Van Hollen Discusses Senate Dynamics on CNN
During a recent segment on CNN’s “The Arena,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) tackled a question regarding the Senate Democrats’ reluctance to support a straightforward continuing resolution. He expressed concerns based on the actions witnessed since the current administration began. “Government agencies have been firing federal employees even without a shutdown,” he noted, adding that they actually have less authority to do so during shutdowns. There’s a call for assurances to prevent such actions from continuing, which he feels President Trump is not willing to provide.
“I’ve voted in the Senate seven times, and I’ll be doing so again tonight,” Van Hollen stated. He emphasized the need to engage with the President about ongoing unlawful practices affecting federal employees and worsening healthcare issues resulting from Republican actions. He mentioned how these problems are akin to a ticking time bomb impacting state stability. While the President focuses on foreign conflicts, there’s been hesitation to address the shutdown with Democrats. He recalled the extensive shutdowns during the first phase of Trump’s presidency, making note that we are currently facing another shutdown under the same administration.
Host Casey Hunt prompted Van Hollen by asking, “But realistically, could Democrats, including Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), not decide to pass the continuing resolution again? Why not?”
Van Hollen replied, “Because, like I said, we’ve seen the repercussions since the onset of this administration. Federal employees have faced layoffs outside of shutdown conditions. In a shutdown, agencies actually have less authority concerning layoffs. A judge is set to rule on a preliminary motion soon, but the detrimental impacts have been apparent since day one.” He added, “I’ve recently met with some federal employees who faced job loss long before the administration took office. They’re expressing a need for guarantees that such unlawful actions won’t happen again. However, it seems that President Trump is more inclined to allocate $20 billion to the Argentine president rather than resolving this shutdown.”
