(DCNF)—Fox News chief political analyst Brit Hume said Monday that the ongoing government shutdown has dragged on longer than any he’s seen.
An NBC News poll found that 42% of voters blame Democrats in Congress for the ongoing government shutdown. During a panel discussion on “Special Report with Bret Baier,” Hume said most Americans aren’t paying much attention to the standoff, even as key sectors of the economy feel its impact.
“Well, I guess they are, but I think around the country, there are not that many people talking about it at all. Now, obviously, there are some sectors of the economy that are, as we’ve seen with airlines and so forth, that are strongly affected by this, but not that many,” Hume told host Bret Baier. “And this is an extraordinary thing. This is going to be the longest government shutdown that I’ve witnessed, certainly, over many years. It also may be the most pointless.”
Hume said Senate Democrats are using a filibuster to block a clean funding bill that would keep spending at current levels.
“The Democrats really have no case here. Their filibuster is what’s keeping the government shut down. There’s no two ways about it. And what the Republicans have offered and voted through the House and sent to the Senate is about as neutral and fair and nonpartisan a measure as you could have in a situation like this,” Hume said. “It’s always been the gold standard in shutdowns to have a clean, continuing resolution that keeps spending at current levels. And these, after all, are still the Biden levels of spending that Democrats are refusing to keep.”
The Congress is on track to surpass the record for the nation’s longest government shutdown Tuesday night after Senate Democrats repeatedly rejected a Republican proposal to restore funding. Even amid the 34-day impasse, the Senate has moved forward with confirming key nominees and approving measures related to national security and trade policy.
While the House has remained idle since mid-September, the Senate has used the shutdown period to clear a massive backlog of executive nominations. Early in October, senators approved more than 100 nominees in a single session under a new rule letting them confirm multiple appointments at once.
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