Schumer Shutdown-The Chaos the Dems have Unleashed, and Why

Summary

Verdict with Ted Cruz – Episode Summary

Podcast: Verdict with Ted Cruz
Episode: Schumer Shutdown – The Chaos the Dems Have Unleashed, and Why
Date: October 1, 2025
Hosts: Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson

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Overview

In this episode, Senator Ted Cruz and Ben Ferguson break down the political standoff that led to the October 2025 government shutdown, examining Senate dynamics, Democratic motivations, and the potential fallout for both parties and the public. The episode gives listeners a behind-the-scenes look at the shutdown's causes, particularly focusing on the roles of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democratic demands, and the influence of progressive politics.

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Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. The Government Shutdown: Immediate Context

[00:36 – 01:32]

• Shutdown is Official: Government funding expired at midnight, marking the official start of a shutdown. Cruz predicts it could last for days, weeks, or longer.
• Senate Vote Recap: Out of 100 senators, 55 voted to keep the government open; only three Democrats broke ranks: Senators Fetterman, Cortez Masto, and Angus King.

Quote:

“No, there was never a chance. ... I think the government shutdown is gonna last the minimum of days. It may be weeks and it may even be longer.”
— Ted Cruz [01:15]

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2. Why Did the Shutdown Happen?

[02:13 – 05:46]

• The Role of Appropriations & CRs: Cruz explains appropriations and Continuing Resolutions (CRs). The House had passed a “clean CR”—maintaining the existing spending levels, with no political add-ons or “pork.”
• Senate Dynamics: Passing such a CR requires 60 votes in the Senate; only three Democrats crossed over, leaving the motion far short.

Quote:

“A clean CR says what we spent yesterday is what we’ll spend tomorrow. That everything just continues the same.”
— Ted Cruz [04:18]

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3. Democratic Strategy and Internal Politics

[05:46 – 08:27]

• Schumer’s Dilemma: Chuck Schumer is portrayed as facing intense pressure from the party’s progressive base. Earlier bipartisanship on a CR had nearly cost him his leadership, fueling this harder line.
• Political Self-Preservation: Cruz alleges Schumer is motivated mainly by fear of a primary challenge from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC).

Quote:

“Schumer is looking over his left shoulder and he sees AOC running up behind him and he is terrified he's going to lose his job.”
— Ted Cruz [06:45]

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4. Democratic Demands

[08:27 – 09:12]

• Primary Issue: Cruz and Ferguson claim the top Democratic demand is “free health care for illegal immigrants,” plus eliminating work requirements for government benefits.
• Populist Framing: The hosts frame these as extreme positions out of touch with popular opinion.

Quote:

“A huge chunk of this is getting rid of the work requirement for government benefits. Democrats don't want anyone to have to work. They want them to be able to sit at home and get government checks.”
— Ted Cruz [09:12]

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5. Satirical/AI Content & Media Moments

[12:16 – 14:48]

• AI Satire: The show plays a satirical AI-generated clip mocking Democratic leaders. Cruz frames this as a sign of media absurdity and a symbol of the messaging war.
• Senate Republicans’ Reactions: Anecdote about John Thune and others laughing off Democratic talking points at lunch, indicating how unseriously the GOP views Democratic demands.

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6. The Messaging Battle: “Schumer Shutdown”

[21:10 – 22:10]

• Framing: Cruz and Ferguson repeatedly brand the shutdown as “the Schumer Shutdown,” arguing Democrats are losing the messaging war.
• Polling: Cruz ridicules Schumer for complaining that even The New York Times’ polling is "right wing," noting that a majority of Americans oppose the shutdown.

Quote:

“Schumer’s message is the New York Times is a right-wing mouthpiece... This is headed to failure. Everyone knows that.”
— Ted Cruz [22:10]

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7. Impact of the Shutdown

[17:17 – 20:31]

• Essential vs. Non-Essential Services: Essential services (military, law enforcement, border patrol, air traffic control) remain operational without pay. National parks, certain research, and museums will be closed.
• Financial Effects: Most government employees receive delayed pay rather than losing income outright.

Quote:

“Government shutdown is a misnomer. More than 80% of the government will continue to operate. So the basic principle is everything that is essential keeps going.”
— Ted Cruz [18:17]

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8. Government Worker Layoffs (“RIFs”)

[24:06 – 32:16]

• The White House Plan: Cruz claims the Trump administration plans to use the shutdown as an opportunity to permanently lay off (via “Reduction in Force”) left-wing federal employees at agencies like EPA, Labor, and IRS.
• Political Fallout: Predicts this will pressure Democrats as bureaucratic layoffs mount.

Quote:

“You're going to see bureaucrats at the EPA fired. ... And within a couple of days, we're going to see Democrat senators screaming at each other because this is frankly an excuse for the Trump administration to do what they wanted to do anyway, which is get rid of left wing bureaucrats.”
— Ted Cruz [24:32]

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9. Historical Hypocrisy & Media Reactions

[32:26 – 38:34]

• Old vs. New Rhetoric: The hosts play and discuss Democratic clips from past shutdowns decrying the tactic, highlighting a perceived hypocrisy now that Democrats are in the hot seat.
• Media Coverage: Cruz claims the media, though generally left-leaning, must now admit Democrats are driving this shutdown, given the facts.

Quote:

“Every single Democrat, I think, without exception, has gone on record being against shutdowns. The fact that they shut it all down today demonstrates what utter hypocrites they are.”
— Ted Cruz [34:44]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:15 | Ted Cruz | “No, there was never a chance. ... I think the government shutdown is gonna last the minimum of days. It may be weeks and it may even be longer.” | | 04:18 | Ted Cruz | “A clean CR says what we spent yesterday is what we’ll spend tomorrow. That everything just continues the same.” | | 06:45 | Ted Cruz | “Schumer is looking over his left shoulder and he sees AOC running up behind him and he is terrified he's going to lose his job.” | | 09:12 | Ted Cruz | “A huge chunk of this is getting rid of the work requirement for government benefits. Democrats don't want anyone to have to work. They want them to be able to sit at home and get government checks.” | | 22:10 | Ted Cruz | “Schumer’s message is the New York Times is a right-wing mouthpiece... This is headed to failure. Everyone knows that.” | | 18:17 | Ted Cruz | “Government shutdown is a misnomer. More than 80% of the government will continue to operate. So the basic principle is everything that is essential keeps going.” | | 24:32 | Ted Cruz | “You're going to see bureaucrats at the EPA fired. ... this is frankly an excuse for the Trump administration to do what they wanted to do anyway, which is get rid of left wing bureaucrats.” | | 34:44 | Ted Cruz | “Every single Democrat, I think, without exception, has gone on record being against shutdowns. The fact that they shut it all down today demonstrates what utter hypocrites they are.” |

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Key Takeaways

• Shutdown was expected and considered unavoidable given current Senate dynamics and Democratic leadership pressure from progressives.
• Democrats’ main demands, according to Cruz and Ferguson, were funding for benefits for undocumented immigrants and removal of work requirements for welfare.
• Schumer depicted as acting out of self-preservation, afraid of a primary challenge from AOC and left-wing activists.
• The “Schumer Shutdown” label is central to Republican messaging, with Cruz claiming even media outlets are recognizing Democratic responsibility.
• Government impact mostly symbolic, with essential services continuing but many “non-essential” operations ceasing, and pay delayed rather than lost.
• Significant focus on permanent layoffs (“RIFs”) of federal workers during the shutdown as a political flashpoint.
• Historical references & media clips highlight perceived hypocrisy among Democrats for employing shutdown tactics they previously opposed.

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Useful Timestamps

• 00:36 – 01:32: Shutdown is declared and predicted to last
• 02:13 – 05:46: Senate vote details, CR process, and Democratic crossover
• 06:45 – 08:27: Schumer’s intra-party political fears
• 08:27 – 09:12: Democratic demands: health care and welfare
• 14:48 – 20:31: Essential services and impacts on the public
• 24:06 – 26:01: Layoff strategies (RIFs) and political ramifications
• 32:26 – 38:34: Historical and media context, messaging war

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Memorable Moments

• AI Satire Segment [12:16]: “Look guys, there’s no way to sugarcoat it. Nobody likes Democrats anymore. ... So we need new voters. And if we give all these illegal aliens free health care, we might be able to get them on our side.”
• Senate Floor Laughter at Schumer [21:33]: After Schumer calls the New York Times right-wing, Republican senators burst out laughing.
• Cruz’s Response to Press [34:44]: Cruz directly addresses reporters, defending his record on previous shutdowns vs. current Democratic tactics.

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Conclusion

This episode of “Verdict” delivers a detailed, sharply partisan deconstruction of the 2025 government shutdown, as seen from the Republican Senate perspective. Cruz and Ferguson frame the standoff as an act of Democratic self-sabotage motivated by internal party power struggles and unpopular policy demands, confidently predicting that Democrats will shoulder the blame both in media coverage and public opinion. The episode is punctuated by humor, media criticism, AI satire, and frequent appeals to the audience's notion of political hypocrisy and strategic miscalculation by the Democratic leadership.

Transcript

[Ted Cruz]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Ted Cruz]

It is Vertica Center. Ted Cruz. It is nice to have you with us. It is official. 1201am the United States government is shut down. The Democrats, they did it on purpose. Apparently it was their plan. And the question is, for how long have they been planning on doing this center? This is going to be a very interesting show. This all revolves around the Senate. That is something that maybe some people don't realize. Everything's come out of the House. We're now to the Senate side of things. And I want you to explain what it was like in the hours leading up to the shutdown. Was there ever a chance in hell that the government wasn't gonna shut down?

No, there was never a chance. It is just after midnight. So the government is shut down. Just for a few minutes. But I think the government shutdown is gonna last the minimum of days. It may be weeks and it may even be longer.

Really?

Yes. This could extend for a significant period of time. And understand, this is. The Democrats roar that they hate Donald Trump. So I gotta say, we had the vote tonight. There was no surprise. Everyone knew the outcome. Out of 100 senators, all of us knew the outcome. The vote was 55 to 45. So three Democrat senators voted to keep the government open.

You have a pretty big deal. I mean, did you think those three were going to go or did you think it was going to be a unanimous vote? I mean, Fetterman and two others, like, that's. That is significant.

Yeah, look, Fetterman, I was not surprised. So Fetterman voted to keep the government open. Cortez Master voted to keep the government open. And Angus King voted to keep the government open. That's not shocking to me. It's 5,000, 545. Now, why did the government shut down? Look, the basic operation of government is the federal government cannot continue to operate unless Congress appropriates funds. Under the Constitution, Congress has the power of the purse. So Congress appropriates the spending of money. A typical fiscal year is October 1st to September 30th.

Yep.

This particular funding ended at midnight on September 30th. You and I are recording this just after. Minutes after midnight on September 30th. The appropriation, the authorization for Congress to spend money, expired minutes ago. Now, there are a couple of ways you can extend the government funding. One is an appropriation. And so they're typically, in a good year, there are 13 appropriation bills that fund each different kind of major segment of government. For a number of years, the appropriation bills have not passed. The other major way that government authorization occurs is through what are called crs. CR is short for continual resolution and continue resolution is essentially Congress saying, what we are spending now, we can continue, continue the status quo identically for X period of time. Now, the House of Representatives passed a cr, a clean cr, to fund the federal government through the middle of November. So if the Senate had passed it.

All right, let's be clear. When you say a clean cr, that means no political shenanigans in it. It's literally saying we're taking the 25 budget year and we're going to say the exact same amount we spent in August. We're going to spend September, October, November until we get the new budget. There is no pork barrel extras. There's no political shenanigan against from either side.

Yes, yes, yes. A clean CR says what we spent yesterday is what we'll spend tomorrow. That everything just continues the same. And that's what the House has passed. Now, the challenge is for anything to pass the Senate that is in the nature of an appropriations or a CR. Yeah, it takes 60 votes because under the filibuster rule, you've got to have 60 votes to move forward on legislation. So as I mentioned, we got 55, we got three Democrats, but we need 60, which means we need at least seven Democrats. And actually here we need eight Democrats because Rand Paul voted no. So we had 52 Republicans vote yes, and we needed eight Democrats to vote yes to fund the government. Well, we only got three. And.

And that was on purpose. And I want to pause just for a second to go back to CR histor historically. Let's just go back to Biden's time in office when you guys were in the minority. If I'm not mistaken, you guys did this more than a dozen times where you came to 13. Hey, we met 13 times. All right? So 13 different times, y' all came together and said, we're going to spend exactly what we spent yesterday to keep the government open so we avoid a government shutdown. And you put the American People ahead of politics. And that is a bipartisan moment. Right. They had to have some of your votes.

So look, every time we came to the end of government funding, you would have enough Republicans join with Democrats to keep the government funded. Now what has changed? Well, several months ago we had another expiration of government funding. And what happened is Chuck Schumer and the Democrats decided, okay, let's keep the government going. A very reasonable, a very common sense, a very normal decision. The Democratic left wing base lost their mind. Yeah, and Chuck Schumer nearly lost his job because Schumer allowed the government to be funded. Several months ago, the left wing rose up against him. And you want to understand why we have a shutdown. It's one thing. Schumer is looking over his left shoulder and he sees AOC running up behind him and he is terrified he's going to lose his job. So listen, Schumer knows this is not going to work. He knows this is failure.

This is just pure. Cover your AWS Politics 101 by Schumer.

So the radical left wing, they hate Trump and they want today to be a giant F you to Trump. They want it to be we hate President Trump and we hate President Trump so much, we're going to shut the entire government down because rawr. That's what we're watching now, by the way.

So, so then hold on. When did. When did this become the plan? Was this weeks ago, months ago? Was this when they had the last. CR is like, God, the next time it comes up, I have no choice. I got to shut down the government to. To flex my muscles and also to. There is a real concern by him that AOC is going to run against him, primary him in the Senate. By the way, that is after the next presidential election cycle. Is that. And that isn't he up two years after, if I'm not mistaken. So it'd be like five plus years from now.

So. And to be clear, I predicted on this podcast, the inaugural member, the chairman of the AOC for President campaign is Chuck Schumer because he is desperate for AOC not to primary him. Yeah, he's going to. He's going to say, Alexandria, you are such a big deal. You are so important. Really. The Senate's too small for you. Why do you want to bother being in the Senate? Sure, you should be in the White House. Schumer is going to be all in on that, but he is living with. With absolute ptsd. He, he is traumatized. He sees left wing antifa. Craziest coming around on every side. And so from his end, this shutdown is necessary politically. Now, what did the Democrats demand? They demanded a lot of things. You know what their number one demand was?

What's that?

Free health care for illegals all over.

The country, by the way. I mean, when you think about that and the polling data and what it says, I don't understand why that would make your number one thing. Because it's clear that the people are behind President Trump. Securing our borders, stopping government waste, fraud, abuse. Doge was a big part of it. And also making sure that we're not giving out benefits to illegal immigrants, saying, no, no, no, no. We want to spend, what, 1.5 trillion if you want our votes. And it has to be for health care for illegal immigrants and food stamps for people that are able bodied, for example, that refuse to work. That's another thing. And they're like, no, no, we, we buy galley. You better give mine to people. They're just straight up lazy that aren't that have the ability to work, but you got to pay them to stay home.

Yeah. A huge chunk of this is getting rid of the work requirement for government benefits. Democrats don't want anyone to have to work. They want them to be able to sit at home and get government checks. But did you see the AI video the White House put out?

Which one? They put out a couple different things. Which one are you talking about?

I want you. I want. I want to play this for everyone. This is fake. So all the nattering nabobs, this is fake news, but it is absolutely hysterical. The White House put out. This is Chuck Schumer and Akeem Jeffries explaining what this shutdown is all about.

Now, before we get to that, I want to talk to you about my friends over at Burna. If you've ever listened to the show before, you know I'm a big advocate for the Second Amendment and I've shared on numerous occasions how carrying a firearm literally saved my life from a gang related attack. But many of you out there may not feel comfortable carrying a firearm. Maybe you have a loved one that's just not comfortable. They need a way to protect themselves. And that's why I want you to know about Burnout launchers. I have them and I've given them to many family members. Burn is a handheld pistol that fires both kinetic rounds and chemical irritants to separate you from an attacker. Josh Sherrard from Burna has been with us telling stories of how Burna has helped save lives or could have been the best option for protection Josh, this next one is incredibly sad and I want you to talk about the father that was involved with a shooting.

[Josh Sherrard]

Absolutely. So in this particular case, a 16 year old girl was coming home late one night, about 3am in the morning, entering through the garage. Unfortunately, the father hears a noise in the garage, grabs his gun, goes out there, sees a dark figure walking through the garage, points that gun, fires only that point, realizing that he had just killed his 16 year old daughter. This is an illustration of where guns and homes, if not used properly, can have dire, dire consequences. In this case, one bullet killed two lives and the lives of many others in that family. It was incredibly tragic and unfortunately we see this situation dozens and dozens of times every year throughout the U.S. yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

That'S one of the questions that I think somebody will ask is like, is this just a one off occurrence? It would never happen to me. Unfortunately, as you mentioned, this happens a lot more often than people realize.

[Josh Sherrard]

Absolutely. Unfortunately, people think that the best tool and the only tool for home defense is a gun. And they get a gun, they never train with it, they never train the tactics that requires. They don't do the other things like flashlights and all the other things that are necessary to make sure that they can use that gun properly. And then that's when you have something like this happen with a burner. If the same thing had happened, you put a burner in his hand, his daughter would be really mad. After she was done coughing for about 45 minutes.

[Ted Cruz]

But still alive.

Yeah. If you want to get more information on how burner can help you or a family member protect themselves, go to Burnaby rna.com that's Burna b y r n a dot com again, Burna b y r n a Dot com. All right, so center here is that audio. Yes. As you mentioned earlier, this is a spoof. It is like Saturday Night Live, except it's coming from President Donald Trump's account, which is the best part about it. Take a listen to this.

[AI-generated White House Spoof Voice]

Look guys, there's no way to sugarcoat it. Nobody likes Democrats anymore. We have no voters left because of all of our woke trans bullshit. Not even black people want to vote for us anymore. Even Latinos hate us. So we need new voters. And if we give all these illegal aliens free health care, we might be able to get them on our side so they can vote for us. They can't even speak English so they won't realize we're just a bunch of woke pieces of, you know, at least for a while until they, they learn English and they Realize they hate us, too.

[Ted Cruz]

See, this is when I love AI. This is when I absolutely love the spoof from the President. And if you can't see this, you need to go look at it. We put up on social.

You, the videos.

Freeze has got a really nice handlebar mustache and a sombrero on.

So. So. So look. Pause for a second and realize that was released by the White House. That was released by the President of the United States. I feel a little guilty because we've got some curse words in there. We try to avoid curse words on. On this podcast. But what do you do when the President has put that out?

You play it.

And I gotta say, the video. So today at lunch. So every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, all the Republican senators have lunch together.

Yeah.

Today at lunch, John Thune met with the President, met with Schumer, met with Hakeem Jeffries at the White House. And so Thune was giving us a download on that. And, you know, Thune was talking about, okay, the Democrats, they don't want to cut a deal. They're not willing to give in on anything. And I will confess, I raised my hand. I question. I said, john, was Akeem Jeffries wearing the sombrero?

And what did he say?

He just laughed. But. But look. And everyone cracked up. But that image. Listen, the Democrats have literally shut down the federal government because they want free health care for every illegal alien in America.

Yeah.

You want to talk about, like, on every issue that's 8020 or even 9010. They're on the 20 or the 10 side. The American people do not support. If we. If you want to have a referendum in this country, should we give illegals free health care? Wow, that will be overwhelming. But. But here's the secret. This shutdown is not actually about free health care for illegals. That's. That's what the Democrats have hung their hat on. Because they got to say they want something.

Yeah. They got to say something. Right.

This is all about just, we hate Donald Trump. And it is Chuck Schumer job preservation. And that also means the end of this. There's no universe in which Chuck Schumer will get President Trump to agree to, let's give free health care to illegals.

Yeah. Not gonna happen. They know that they're pandering.

There's no universe in which Republicans in Congress are gonna say, hey, that's a great idea. Let's give free health care to every illegal. Like. Like, that's. You might as well ask for Area 51, like, to release The Martians and let them take over the country.

Yeah.

That is as likely to happen as free health care for illegals from Republicans. The Democrats know that this is not about getting what they're demanding. This is about how long do they want to demonstrate Orange Man Bad.

Yeah.

And so.

And the radical base is what has put them in this scenario. Right?

Yes.

Do you actually believe. And let's go back to the history of the Senate here. I don't believe that Chuck Schumer actually wanted to shut down the government.

No, no.

I think he was forced to do it.

He would lose his job. He would lose his job if the government was open.

Preservation. It was self preservation.

Yes.

He. In other words, this is weird. Chuck Schumer is being held hostage by the Marxist communists and socialists in his party, which they did not police and they allowed to take over their party. Then he's now holding the American people hostage with a government shutdown. Which brings me to the big question. Even when we've had shutdowns in the past, there has been some agreement center like hey, certain people should deserve to get paid. Those that are in the military, those badges, like the list is, is, is not that long. But the, the essential important people that deserve to get a paycheck, we don't screw with them when they're protecting, defending this country. Can you guys at least. Was there an agreement to pay them?

No.

Really? Okay, so. So walk us through that because I'm assuming that came up at lunch.

So one of the things I did today is I sent a letter because under the Constitution, members of Congress, our pay cannot be stopped. It's actually unconstitutional to reduce the compensation for members of Congress during the term we're elected to. So I sent a letter and I've done this during every shutdown saying while the government is shut down, don't pay me. It's not fair. It's not right for an elected member of Congress to receive a paycheck when federal workers are not. Now to be clear, I don't lose my pay when the shutdown is over. I'll get paid.

It's just deferred.

But it's deferred.

A lot of people don't understand that the long. What's I think just asinine. And I have family members who work in the federal government and they're like the dumb part about this that I think a lot of Americans don't understand is that you don't miss a paycheck in your calendar year. You just miss a month and then you get it back dated, you get it back the next time whenever the government does open back up. And so I know people that are in the faa, for example, and they're like, dude, we just plan our vacations, like great trips around shutdowns because we know we're still getting paid. We save. Not everybody can do that. But like they've almost pre planned for this bonus vacation and they're going to get paid back.

Yeah. But let me make several points of clarification.

Sure.

Number one, government shutdown is a misnomer. More than 80% of the government will continue to operate. So the basic principle is everything that is essential keeps going. So the military are active, our active duty military, like defending the nation against bad guys, that keeps going. The FBI catching criminals, that keeps going. The border patrol and ice, that keeps going. The FAA air traffic controllers. Tomorrow if you get on an airplane, the air traffic controllers all go to work. But by the way, yeah, the air traffic controllers are not getting a paycheck. So they're going to work. But every two weeks, federal government employees get paid. Air traffic controllers, coast guardsmen, military, the federal government, nobody gets a paycheck. And so what shuts down? Every cabinet secretary was assigned, designate among your employees who is essential and who is not essential. I remember when Bill Clinton was president, we had a shutdown then. Remember Newt Gingrich and the Republican Congress were fighting with Bill Clinton. We had a shutdown for a number of weeks. And I remember there was a headline that said the Department of Commerce designated 30% of their employees as essential and 70% is non essential. I remember thinking that's great. We just set a new bench line. All those non essential, that 70%, they ought to be done. But what that means. So, so what will be shut down? Starting October 1st, National Parks will be shut down. So I got to say, if you were planning to take your family to Yosemite this weekend.

Yeah.

I'm sorry to say you're out of luck. Yosemite will be closed. If you were coming to D.C. to tour our nation's capital, you wanted to go to the Smithsonian, go to the Air and Space Space Museum. It's the Smithsonian will be shut down. If you look at things like the National Institute of Health, like research on cancer, much of that will be shut.

Down all across the federal non essential. And people are going to say that seems insane. Why wouldn't we fix that? To make sure when we have these shenanigans happen that that's not affected.

And I think this shutdown will extend. I Think it'll be weeks. I think it will be. Schumer is trying to protect his own rear end and everything else is secondary to protecting his own political life. So I think we will see an extended shutdown.

So is this polling? I mean, how do you decide when you won or you lost if you're Schumer? Cuz this is not about the country hating Schumer. This is only about New York and protecting a seat from aoc. So in essence you don't care how many people hate you in the country. It's only a New York thing. Is that, I mean, will they do polling? I mean, this is weird.

Yeah, look. So this is being called the Schumer shutdown.

Yeah.

And I got to say, the Democrats are losing the messaging battle. It is clear this is a Democrat shutdown. There was action exchange right before we had the vote on the CR to keep the government open. And this is a clean cr, no riders, no nothing. This is just keep every, keep the.

Lights on, status quo.

Schumer stood up and was speaking and all the senators or most of us were standing on the Senate floor and Schumer said, look, there's been reference to polling, but the polling has been biased. It's been right wing polling. For example, the New York Times and I got to tell you, I and every other Republican, we just started cracking up, laughing. And you could see Schumer, he actually turned red. He looked sheepish because he just said on the Senate floor that the New York Times was a biased right wing poll.

Yeah, seriously.

And it was a moment where like Schumer, you saw Democrats looking at him going, dude, you look like that's weak. And that's because the New York Times did a poll. If the Democrats don't get everything they want, should they shut the government down? And 65% of Americans said, no, don't shut the government down. It was a small percentage. It was just over 20% of Americans that said, yes, shut the government down. So that's who the Democrats are responding to. But they've got Schumer's message is the New York Times is a right wing mouthpiece. And how dare you tell the American people that we, the Democrats, are shutting the government down. This is headed to failure. Everyone knows that. Every Republican knows that. Every Democrat knows that. Is there an outcome where Republicans say, okay, great, let's fund healthcare for illegals? No. The Democrats will give in. Three Democrats voted to fund, fund the government. What will happen is the government is shut down. People are going to get ticked off. People are going to want to like use. By the way, things like passport services will be greatly reduced. All sorts of government. Now listen, the military keeps going, law enforcement keep going, Social Security keeps going, Medicare keeps going, Medicaid keeps going, an awful lot of government keeps going. But the lack of government being open will be a serious function. And at some point we will see seven or eight Democrats say enough is enough, reopen the government. That will happen. But let me tell you a huge piece that is a, an X factor in this. This which is Russ Vote, who is the head of omb, the Office of Management and Budget, works for the White House. He put out a memo a week ago that said if there is a government shutdown, we are going to lay off federal workers. We're not going to give them a furlough.

This is, hold on. This is the brilliant game of chess that was early on. Preemptive warning, you do this and here's what we're going to do. And this might be one of the best moves I've seen politically in a long time in D.C. which is go ahead, do it and watch what happens because a lot of people are going to get lose their jobs and that's going to be on you guys for allowing it to happen. Right. So explain all that.

Yes. So Russ is a good friend. He's a strong conservative. He's a strong fiscal conservative. And what he said is, listen, if Congress decides not to fund the federal government, we are going to react to that. By the White House has instructed every cabinet agency to prepare a plan for a rif, a reduction in force, to give permanent layoffs, pink slips to government bureaucrats who are left wing bureaucrats who are advancing the priorities of the Democrat Party. So what you are going to see in the next few days, you are going to see bureaucrats at the EPA fired. You're going to see bureaucrats at the Department of Labor fired. You're going to see bureaucrats at the IRS fired. And within a couple of days, we're going to see Democrat senators. They're going to be in their lunches screaming at each other because this is frankly an excuse for the Trump administration to do what they wanted to do anyway, which is get rid of left wing bureaucrats. But they now have an incredible justification, which is, hey, Congress chose not to fund them. So instead of giving them a paid vacation, stay home several weeks and then we'll pay you back pay and come back to your job, they're gonna even pick slip and say you're done. You no longer have a job and I think that is gonna ratchet up the pressure on Democrats massively.

[Mike Johnson]

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[Travis Holloway]

And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the Wealth Break.

[Rodney Williams]

Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone. It's not just about saving. It's about investing. It's about navigating systems that weren't built for you, embracing your hustle and relying on your community to create something bigger.

[Travis Holloway]

And that's exactly why we created the wealthbreak. We made something different, something more human. It's not just another financial podcast. It's a conversation about real life, real struggles, and real wins.

[Rodney Williams]

We're here to talk about the journey. You're hearing from people who've broken barriers, found creative ways to succeed, and learn to build wealth on their terms. Whether it's the first time homeowner, a gig worker, or someone turning a side hustle into a six figure business, we're bringing you their stories.

[Travis Holloway]

And we're not stopping at success stories. We're breaking down the realities. Like what it means to take risk, how to navigate failure, and why resilience matters. Because wealth isn't about money. It's about creating a life where you can thrive and help others to do the same.

[Rodney Williams]

So if you're ready for a podcast as much as about people as it is about money, you're in the right place.

[Travis Holloway]

Listen to the Welt Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app.

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[Leon Neyfak]

When I told people I was making a podcast about Benghazi, 9 times out of 10 they called me a masochist, rolled their eyes, or just asked why Benghazi?

[Ted Cruz]

The truth became a web of lies.

[Leon Neyfak]

It's almost a dirty word, one that connotes conspiracy theory.

[Ted Cruz]

Will we ever get the truth about the Benghazi massacre?

[Leon Neyfak]

Bad faith, political warfare and frankly, bullshit.

[Ted Cruz]

We kill the ambassador just to cover something up. You put two and two together.

[Leon Neyfak]

Was it an overblown distraction or a sinister conspiracy?

[Ted Cruz]

Benghazi is a Rosetta Stone for everything.

That'S been going on for the last 20 years.

[Leon Neyfak]

I'm Leon Neyfak from Prologue Projects and Pushkin Industries. This is Fiasco Benghazi.

[Josh Sherrard]

What difference at this point does it make?

[Ted Cruz]

Yes, that's right.

Lock her up.

[Leon Neyfak]

Listen to Fiasco Benghazi on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ted Cruz]

So how quickly can these firings take place? How massive could they be today and how much research has been done behind the scenes and to get rid of a lot of these woke bureaucrats that we that we've been wanting to get rid of that the president's want to get rid of. The cabinet secretaries have wanted to get rid of like I mean I'm assuming they're burning the midnight oil kind of like Doge did. Let's find the people we want to get rid of and this is our chance to do it. And we and by the way, once it's done, like it's not like you got offering them jobs back, like it's done.

So I think that starts happening today. I think October 1st you start seeing pink slips. I think we will see left wing bureaucrats fired today. I think we'll See them fired tomorrow. You know, this evening I had dinner with the Deputy secretary of hhs, who's a longtime friend of mine, he was actually a groomsman in my wedding. Great guy. I asked him, I said, okay, the White House asked every cabinet agency prepare a list of people for the rif. And he said, yeah, we're doing that. He said, every agency, when the White House directs us to do that, we do that. We're going to see, I think, hundreds, if not thousands of left wing bureaucrats fired in the next several days. I think that's going to put the Democrat Party in crisis. And by the way, we're not going to fire people that are critical for the priorities you and care, you and I care about. So we're not going to see border patrol agents who are securing the border fired. We're not going to see ICE agents who are deporting gang bangers fired. We're not going to see FBI agents who are catching pedophiles. We're not going to see them fired. We're not going to see soldiers and sailors and airmen and Marines who are keeping this nation safe. We're not going to see them fired. We're going to see bureaucrats who are shutting down factories, who are destroying jobs, who are pursuing radical left wing agendas. They're gonna be the ones fired. And ultimately the Democrats are gonna cave. The only question is how long Schumer wants to go through this charade before he gives in.

Which brings me to my final question. That is the media does seem to be covering this a little bit more with honesty than I've ever seen them before. Today there was a viral clip that is the tables have been turned. Democrats are now literally under fire for a clip that shows them slamming government shutdown tactics, the same ones they're accused of using right now. And here's what it sounded like back in 2018. In December of 2018, Donald Trump was president. Chuck Schumer, Nance Pelosi in the Oval Office. Listen, we do not want to shut.

[AI-generated White House Spoof Voice]

Down the government because you can't get your way.

[Ted Cruz]

Every time you shut it down, you.

[AI-generated White House Spoof Voice]

Let me say something, Mr. President.

[Mike Johnson]

North Dakota, we came in here in good faith and, and, and, and we're entering into a, this kind of a discussion in the public, but it's not bad.

[Rodney Williams]

Nancy.

[Ted Cruz]

No, no, it's called transparency.

[Mike Johnson]

I know it's not transparency when we're not stipulating to a set of facts.

[Ted Cruz]

I, I mean, you listen to that one. They're like, we're not in favor of it. And then the speaker also put out a very interesting video montage reminding people the same thing, like, hey, you, you guys think that it's the Democrats. Mike Johnson putting this out, and here he is and what he said to remind the people about Democrats in their own words.

[Mike Johnson]

It is not normal to shut down the government when we don't get what we want.

[AI-generated White House Spoof Voice]

If the government shuts down, it will be average Americans who suffer most. A government shutdown means seniors who rely on Social Security could be thrown into chaos.

[Grainger Ad Narrator]

Families will be hurt, farmers will be hurt.

[Ted Cruz]

It's the service members who will work without a paycheck. It's the firefighters who will be furloughed. This shutdown, you know who's gonna feel the pain? You know who it hurts? You. Everyday people. And the most vulnerable, Seniors, veterans, working families, hungry kids, y'.

All.

[Rodney Williams]

Democrats are signaling they're ready for a fight this time. Schumer tells the Associated Press, quote, have changed.

[Mike Johnson]

It is not normal to shut down the government when we don't get what we want.

[Ted Cruz]

I mean, I love them using AOC's words. I feel like the media has changed a little bit here. Your thoughts on that?

Well, I'm impressed that you recognize aoc. His voice, I didn't know. I knew that was a shrill Democrat. I didn't know who that was. So I appreciate that clarity. Listen, every single Democrat, I think, without exception, has gone on record being against shutdowns. The fact that they shut it all down today demonstrates what utter hypocrites they are. And I gotta say, as I was walking off the Senate floor, so I voted to fund the government. This afternoon, the Democrats voted against it and caused a shutdown. All the reporters were circling and their talking point that they really wanted to press is they said, okay, Cruz, in 2013, in the fight over Obamacare, you, Ted Cruz, forced a shutdown. Isn't that what the Democrats are doing now? And I just started laughing at them. And I said, look, number one, in 2013, when I did a 21 hour filibuster on the floor, I was fighting for Americans. I was fighting for American citizens whose health care premiums had skyrocketed. And they had skyrocketed because Obamacare was a train wreck. It was a disaster. It caused a massive increase in health insurance premiums. It made the health insurance companies rich, and it made millions of ordinary Americans unable to afford health insurance. And by the way, I was also fighting for it at a time when the House of Representatives that was Republican had voted to fund the Federal government. Fund the entirety of the federal government, but not fund Obamacare, So not fund the law that was causing damage to American citizens. And I said, here, what's happening is Chuck Schumer is shutting down the federal government not to help American citizens who are getting hurt, but he's shutting down the federal government in order to help millions of illegal aliens and give them free health care. And he's willing to shut down your federal government to give free health care to illegals. And that fundamentally there's a hypocrisy to it. And I also said, you know, the reporters were like, isn't it the same? And I said, listen, let me be clear. In 2013, it was Chuck Schumer who shut the government down. Then I was trying to fund the entirety of the federal government except for Obamacare. And Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid decided, no, we'll shut it all down because we care so much about socialized medicine. And I told the reporters we had like 50 reporters standing outside the Senate floor. And I said, look, none of you guys reported that you all blame the shutdown on me because you're all left wing hacks. Yeah, Today all of you are still left wing hacks. You agree with the Democrats, but the facts are so overwhelming. It is Chuck Schumer and the Democrats who are shutting the government down that even you dishonest liars are reporting. This is the Schumer shutdown because the House has funded the government. Exactly the status quo. The funding yesterday has continued to tomorrow. It is the Democrats who said, let's shut it down. And I think at the end of the day they're going to lose that battle. But this is what you got to ask yourself is how long do the Democrats have to perform for their crazy left wing activist before they allow the government to reopen?

Until a poll tells them otherwise is my guess. It's going to be interesting. I have a feeling you're right. We're going to be talking about this for.

But, but you know what? They're not going to trust. They're not going to trust the polls from that right wing mouthpiece and the New York Times. But, but, but, but maybe. I don't know. When Mother Jones and you know, Communist Party of America has a poll that shows they're losing, maybe then they'll give up.

Maybe, maybe then we're gonna cover it all. Don't forget, we do the show Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Make sure you hit that subscribe or auto download button. Also share this podcast on social media, wherever you are. And the center. I will see you back here under probably a government shutdown on Friday morning as well. This is an I Heart podcast.