Mullin Shares the Real Reason Behind Shutdown [WATCH]

Sen. Markwayne Mullin criticized Democrats over the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, arguing during an exchange with Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer that the impasse was designed to coincide with the State of the Union rather than reflect genuine negotiations.

Hemmer asked the Oklahoma Republican whether there was a path forward to reopen the government.

“My question to you is, do you see a way out today as a way to get out of this?” Hemmer said.

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Mullin responded by saying meaningful negotiations have not been taking place.

“Well, if we were actually negotiating on actual terms, to reopen, yes, but that’s not the state of play here. The state of play is to be shut down during the State of the Union for DHS, and that’s what it’s always been. If it was actual conversation about reforms. It wouldn’t have taken them 10 days to come back with a proposal after they shut us down almost three weeks ago.”

Mullin said that when a proposal was eventually delivered, the White House responded quickly, but talks did not continue.

“And then when, when they did send us a proposal, the White House sent back a rebuttal another proposal. That’s why negotiations work in 48 hours, and then they wouldn’t even negotiate on another CR the whole state of play was they knew the timing behind this, right when they shut us down.”

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He pointed to the timing of the shutdown in relation to a holiday weekend and federal employee pay cycles.

“They knew that we’re going into this holiday weekend, meaning that all TSA, all the federal employees to which they’re holding hostage here through the through DHS, was going to go ahead and receive their payment, their first paid or their middle of the month paycheck, because they get paid on the 15th and on the first but because 15th fell yesterday, they got paid on on Friday, and then the first will be after the State of the Union.”

Mullin argued the shutdown was not about policy changes but about optics heading into the president’s address.

“And so this isn’t about really making changes. This is just political theater for them to go into because they can’t talk about the border because President Trump has secured that. They can’t talk about the economy because the economy is booming. They can’t talk about taxes because we’ve lowered taxes. They can’t talk about foreign policy because the world is safer.”

He added that Democrats are relying on rhetoric while, in his view, using federal employees as leverage.

“They can’t talk about anything except more rhetoric about what they have done here by holding what? Well employee, federal employees hostage once again, like they did just a few months ago.”

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