Dem. Sen. Murphy Flops Like a Fish Out of Water When Confronted with Receipts [WATCH]

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) quickly reversed course on his support for a government shutdown after NBC’s Meet the Press host Kristen Welker confronted him with past statements opposing shutdowns.

During the Sunday interview, Murphy criticized the GOP-backed spending bill that passed with the help of several Senate Democrats, arguing that the American people “would have understood” the reasoning behind a shutdown.

However, Welker played multiple clips from 2019 and 2023 in which Murphy warned about the “enormous” consequences of shutting down the government, prompting her to press him on what had changed.

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“Listen, I don’t think Americans would have understood, but they would have understood why we got there,” Murphy responded.

“If you are the majority party, you have an obligation to negotiate with the minority. Republicans refuse to do that.”

Murphy further criticized the spending bill, calling it unprecedented.

“Again, never before has a spending bill been written by only one party,” Murphy said.

“At this moment, when the president is acting so unconstitutionally, it just seems like the absolute wrong time to give him these new powers.”

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Murphy’s comments come as Democrats have shifted their stance on government shutdowns and other legislative tools, such as the filibuster, in response to the passage of the spending bill.

The measure cleared the Senate on Friday with a 62-38 vote after ten Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, joined Republicans to push it through.

The move has sparked calls from within the party for changes in Senate leadership.

Murphy defended his opposition to the bill, despite acknowledging the risks of voting against it.

“Listen, I understand that a no vote was a risk, right? But I think the American public right now want us to stand up, Democrats, to stand up and take some risks,” Murphy said.

“Every single day, the president is engaging in exceptional tactics in risk-tolerant behavior,” Murphy continued.

“I don’t think you save the republic and save our democracy by playing it straight and maintaining norms when the president is shattering them every single day.”

Murphy’s remarks come amid ongoing struggles within the Democratic Party to unify around a clear message following President Donald Trump’s re-election.

A recent CNN/SSRS poll indicates that Democrats’ approval ratings have hit a new low, with only 29% of respondents viewing the party favorably.

NEW CNN POLL: Americans’ favorable view of the Democratic Party has fallen to 29%, the lowest ever recorded in CNN’s polling dating back more than 30 years. pic.twitter.com/h1PAUWDFmC

— Inside Politics (@InsidePolitics) March 16, 2025

This marks a significant drop of 20 points since January 2021.

As infighting continues and approval ratings decline, Murphy’s backtracking on the shutdown issue highlights broader challenges facing Democrats as they attempt to navigate an increasingly divided political landscape.

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