FULL GAGGLE: Hawley Takes Questions About Government Shutdown, Democratic Wins In 2025 Elections

Senator, the president seems to think you guys are losing the shutdown fight because you're in charge. Do you agree that Republicans are losing this? Well, listen, I think we need to reopen the government, and I'll leave the assessment of blame to other people, but when you've got 42 million people who are going without food assistance, almost three quarters of a million in my state, when you've got people who are missing their paychecks, their traffic controllers, members of the military, FBI, I mean, this is real suffering, and it needs to end, it needs to end as quickly as possible. The president must have said that 20 times today. But he also said that the shutdown was part of the reason Republicans did so poorly last night. I mean, do you think that the shutdown played a role in the election? Listen, I'm not a voter in those states, but here's what I do know is the shutdown needs to end, and in my state, I can just tell you, it is really hurting real people. This is why I've offered a bill to pay those SNAP benefits, because people need the assistance, 42 million people. I mean, this is becoming a humanitarian crisis, and I think we have got to end this ASAP. But sorry, I just want to get an understanding. It sounds like the president told you all privately that the dynamics last night showed that the shutdown you guys were getting killed is the cause. Did he say that? He didn't say anything privately, but he didn't say publicly. So he didn't say that he thought that the results last night showed that your party was getting killed? I think what he said is that the shutdown needs to end, he wants the shutdown to end, and he urged us to get rid of the filibuster. And I want to say this to my Democrat colleagues, if you're going to put me personally to the choice between providing food assistance to 42 million needy Americans or defending some arcane rule of the Senate, I'm going to choose people. So I would just warn my Democrat colleagues, I think they can do this in perpetuity. We're just never going to open back up the government. We're never going to get people food assistance. We're never going to pay the military. That is not a sustainable position, and you're putting me to a choice between people and Senate rules, and I'm going to choose people on that. Politically, given that Democrats won pretty big here despite the shutdown, do you think that they're paying a price at all for this? Are Democrats? Well, I don't know, Manu, but I know who is paying a price are the people who aren't eating. I mean, they're paying a price. I mean, who are paying a price are people who can't afford their health care, veterans who can't go to the VA and get the coverage they need, children who can't eat. So I don't care about Republicans and Democrats, whatever, but what I care about are people in my state and around the country are suffering, real people, and not just like an inconvenience. No, no, they're suffering. When you can't eat, when you can't feed your kids, that's suffering, and I don't know how much more loudly I can say this in this building. This has to end, and if we're not going to open back up the government, which we should, we need to pass a food stamp. So what about getting in a room then and starting these negotiations about health care? You would do that, get in the room? Oh, well, listen, I've been I've been saying for weeks I'll talk to anybody and have talked to folks, but, you know, this has to happen at the leadership level, but this shutdown has got to end. So you think Trump, you think Trump? Do you have the votes to change the filibuster rules right now? Talk to your colleagues leaving that room? I don't, I don't know the answer to that. Did the president change any minds on it? I don't know the answer to that. Can you talk about a bill that you and Senator Warner are working on? Yeah, the AI bill? Right. Yeah, absolutely. No, I'm happy to, and this goes back to defending working people. I mean, we keep hearing about how the AI revolution is going to be great for working people. Well, let's find out. I mean, let's find out how many jobs AI is creating, but also how many jobs it is eliminating. I think having the data, who can argue against having the data? I'll be real interested to see if these AI companies come out and support this bill, because if they're serious about actually doing something for the American worker, they'll support this legislation. They'll say, absolutely, we are happy to tell you exactly how many jobs are being lost and how many are being created. But I'm not holding my breath because I think the truth is that they are on track to eliminate a whole bunch of jobs AI is and not replace it with anything. And that is a huge problem. If AI is going to be good for the country, it's got to work for working people. So just to get back on your call for negotiations, do you think it's time for congressional Republican leadership to meet with congressional Democratic leadership? I will just mono, I can only speak for my, I can only control me. But what I'm saying is, is that I'm happy to talk to anybody. And I just hope when it comes to my Democrat colleagues, obviously, I've talked to them at length about food assistance. It's a bipartisan bill. Half their caucus is on that bill now. But beyond that, I just plead with them. I know that, you know, people are reading the election results. I know a lot of Democrats are saying, oh, this means that we're winning. Well, who's not winning are people who aren't eating. That's not winning. So let's redirect our focus here to who's winning and who's losing. And who's losing are working people and needy children. They're losing. So, you know, I would just plead with them, you can go take your victory lap later. But right now, let's put people back to work. And let's start feeding people who are literally going hungry. More broadly, are you worried about the electoral results, what they may mean for the midterms next year? Listen, my focus right now, given what the crisis that we're in is getting people in my state fed, like literally getting them food. I just want to say, you know, since I'm on that subject, food banks, churches across my state have done a phenomenal job. But they cannot sustain this long term. I mean, just long term, we're going to have a crisis if people cannot. There's been a little bit of back and forth. The court said that the fund had to be used. They said it would be partially funded. There's been a whole back and forth. When you hear from folks in your state, are they able to access those benefits right now? No, I don't think so. My understanding is, you want to double check on this. My understanding is that so far, the federal government has not paid out any benefits. They just got the directive from the court to do so. And remember, they don't have enough money to pay all of it. So now they've got to figure out some formula. This is why Congress needs to stop sitting around and commentating. I mean, this body acts like we're like commentators on TV, no offense to y'all. But it's like, we need to do something. And it's not going to work to say to the president or whomever, well, you do that, you do that, whatever. We have to appropriate the money. If the president uses every dime, and I'm sure he will, that he has at his disposal, that's going to be less than half. And it's also going to take a long time to stand it up. We need to act right now to get people the help they need. I cannot emphasize that enough. So I'm really alarmed by the reports this morning that now the Democrats are not interested anymore in reopening the government. Those talks are losing steam. You know, again, I mean, what is it going to take in terms of just sheer human suffering for this to come to an end? Did that show up during the breakfast at all? The whole back and forth and what the White House is going to do? Did you ask? It didn't come up at all? So can you take us through what happened after the camera was left? Oh, I mean, he just reiterated what he said on camera. I mean, as you know, I mean, the president does not, he does not say one thing in private and then public. What he says in private, he's happy to say in public. And he just, he said the same message. I mean, he laid it all out when the cameras were there. I mean, he wants to shut down and to do that he thinks we need to get rid of the filibuster. And I just, I would just say again, I just warned these Democrats that if you're, if you're putting me personally to that choice and you're making me choose, I'm going to choose people. So let's bring this to an end. But are you also telling your leadership, get in a room with Democrats and start talking about healthcare? Listen, I've been saying that for, for weeks. I mean, I think we should, I think we should talk. I think we should find a way forward on this, but it takes two to tango here. And I just, I'm worried that this morning I hear a lot of my Democrat colleagues now saying, well, we think we're winning. I mean, kind of back to my honest question. We think that this isn't great for us. It's not great for anybody in the country. It's not great for people. And you know, the politicos and the strategists and the lobbyists, like they go celebrate and get their paychecks and they're fine, but not working people, not needy people. So we have, I mean, have a conscience that we've got to do something like today on this. And I just, I couldn't feel more urgent about it. I better let you guys go.