November 7, 2025
Click here to watch the Senator’s interview.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) yesterday joined MSNBC’s The Weeknight to discuss the ongoing government shutdown and Tuesday’s election results across the nation.
Below are excerpts of the interview.
On the Need to Reopen the Government
“We did have a very productive meeting in our caucus because no one wants to see this shutdown continue. And I think it’s very clear, even hearing the President, that he recognizes that Republicans are hurting from this, but more importantly, the American people are hurting from this. They’ve been hurting from day one with the chaos and the corruption and all of these things all put together. And so, we have an opportunity, right now, to solve this. We can both open the government and make sure that we make sure we restore the ACA tax credits that – now my constituents are opening up their computers and seeing their health care premiums could double or quadruple. They’ve already experienced the pain of higher grocery bills, housing, energy costs. And that’s what Tuesday’s election really showed. It was really a referendum on affordability and making it clear that that’s what the people care about.”
On the Impact of SNAP
“Let’s take a step back and think about SNAP. The cuts to SNAP started in the ‘big, beautiful bill,’ the [largest] cut in the history of this country… I cannot believe that you would fight the courts to give people access to nutrition and food. It doesn’t make sense. And so, for us, we’re saying again, come to the table, we’re here. We’ve been ready, willing, and able to make sure that we negotiate and open up this government.”
“Even for states like mine, the state of Delaware, we’ve got great leadership. Our governor and our general assembly actually have said, we’re going to step in the breach when this administration is backing away from the American people. I put in a bill called the SNAP BACK Act to pay states back who do the right thing, the morally and the financially right thing, by supporting their constituents. And so, to me, again, if he can do a tweet and a meme, tell his members who are in the House to come back to Washington, D.C. and get to work, sit down with us and really think about the pain that this is causing the American people.”
On Republicans’ Responsibility to Come to the Table
“…I’ve learned in my short time being in the House and now in the Senate is that when you want to get something done, you can get something done. And for us, one of the main things, and for me personally, is that, you know, we can have a vote on the [ACA] tax credits in the Senate, but if it’s going nowhere in the House, that’s not good enough for me…That’s one of the reasons why we in our freshman class are really trying to make an effort to be a part of the solution of finding a way to open the government and get those tax credits. So, there could be a myriad of ways. And we’ve actually talked about different ways to get to the ‘yes,’ but it requires them coming back to the table, and it requires Donald Trump really to be focused on this. And after the results of this election, I think we’ve got his attention.”
“…My message is Donald Trump, if you’re watching, if you’re listening, the American people are hurting, and they want us to move forward and make sure that we restore their health care. It’s not sustainable for people. I’m literally seeing people come up to me in my state crying, saying, help us. I had a letter from a woman, and she said, ‘These are supposed to be our golden years.’ And at the end of the letter she said, ‘I’m a Republican.’ So, this isn’t even partisan. They are literally hurting everyone right now. And we just said, come to the table.”
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Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the United States Senate where she serves on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.