McCaul: The Consequences of Democrats' Shutdown

"Democrats "would have enough votes" to pass House Republicans' funding bill, they said, if their senators "were not terrified of getting the guillotine."

Texas Insider Report WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Democrats have now voted 'no' THIRTEEN times on Republicans' clean, non-partisan government funding bill.

They could vote yes and re-open the government at any time, but they choose to cater to the most radical parts of their base instead. In fact, anonymous Democrat senators recently told the media as much. Democrats "would have enough votes" to pass House Republicans' funding bill, they said, if their senators "were not terrified of getting the guillotine."

Meanwhile, hardworking Americans are suffering the consequences. In Texas alone, Democrats' shutdown is projected to cost $6.3 billion per month, wipe out 4,100 jobs, and force up to 218,000 federal workers to serve without pay.

It's time for Senate Democrats to put Americans' well-being first and open our government — today.

Countering China With Our Ally Australia
This week, President Trump cemented yet another fantastic, America-first deal — this time with our strong ally, Australia.

President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Albanese met at the White House on Monday, where they announced an agreement for the U.S. to procure critical minerals from Australia. This deal couldn't come at a better time. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Chinese Communist Party — which controls and refines most of the world's rare earths and critical minerals — announced new export controls that could wreak havoc on the west by cutting off its access to these materials. The deal between the U.S. and Australia will strengthen both of our economies and bolster U.S. national security by reducing our reliance on China.

I was also extremely pleased to see the president voice his support for accelerating AUKUS, the security pact between the U.S., U.K., and Australia. While chairing the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I authored and passed legislation to implement AUKUS, and I've been told in my security briefings that this security pact is what keeps Chairman Xi Jinping up at night. I look forward to seeing how the administration strengthens this security pact, which serves as a critical deterrent to the CCP’s malign activities in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

The meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Albanese proved the U.S.-Australia alliance is as strong as ever. As co-chair of the Friends of Australia Caucus, I also met with Prime Minister Albanese and other members of the Australian delegation this week to discuss AUKUS, the exciting new minerals deal, and more.

President Trump Pushes for Peace in Europe
President Trump has made commendable efforts to secure peace in Europe since day one of his presidency. But rather than negotiate in good faith, Vladimir Putin continues to move the goalposts, reject President Trump's calls for a ceasefire, and destroy Ukrainian cities.

This week, the Trump administration responded by imposing sanctions on Russia's two biggest oil companies, which fund Russia's war on Ukraine. I commend the president and Secretary Bessent for demonstrating peace through strength with these sanctions, which will deal a significant blow to the Kremlin's war machine, and for standing ready to take further action to bring Putin to the negotiating table and stop his brutal war of aggression.

Putin is discovering there will be consequences for his belligerence in the face of President Trump's good-faith efforts to secure peace.