Secretary of War Pete Hegseth took aim at Democrats on Saturday, criticizing their handling of the ongoing government shutdown as the standoff between the two parties now rolls into its fifth day.
"We're dealing with a Chuck Schumer special right now," Hegseth said on "The Sunday Briefing," speaking of the Department of War.
"This is the vanity of one man who doesn't want to look weak to his base, so he's trying to look tough, throw $1.5 trillion on top of what is otherwise a clean bill to fund the government, to move along on a regular order.
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"We're going to fight through it," he continued. "But it's unfortunate that the Democrats are pushing politics into something when all we want to do is defend the nation, and we're going to keep doing it."
With the Air Force vs. Navy game serving as a backdrop, Hegseth joined the new Fox News show to touch on the shutdown, defending the homeland from foreign and domestic adversaries and keeping the "warrior ethos" intact despite funding issues.
"Of course [the shutdown impacts readiness]. You've got to pay for the stuff you're doing," he said.
"We're going to do the job no matter what… we're going to continue training, but eventually you stop paying people. You stop doing things, you stop training. You're less ready. You're less capable of being mission ready. You can't maintain everything…"
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Hegseth said servicemembers will soon start looking at congressional leaders - namely Democrats - and asking how long they intend to "hold out," fearing they soon won't receive a paycheck to support their families and personal livelihoods.
"Joining the military is not a lucrative business. The generals… aren't in this to get rich. They can make a lot more on the outside, just like the sergeants and the captains and the others who serve," he said.
"It's not about the money, but, at the end of the day, you've got to pay the bills, so, when dumb games are played by Democrats on Capitol Hill… It's nonsense. End it, fund it and let the troops get back to what they do best, which is defending the nation."
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other Democratic lawmakers insist Republicans are to blame for the shutdown.
"IT'S MIDNIGHT. That means the Republican shutdown has just begun because they wouldn't protect Americans' health care. We're going to keep fighting for the American people," Schumer posted on social media as the shutdown began.
Democrats have been pushing for an extension of Obamacare subsidies enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those enhancements, which most Republicans oppose and allege would lead to a huge increase in taxpayer-funded healthcare for immigrants who entered the country illegally, would expire by the end of 2025 without congressional action.
Democrats have also introduced a counter-proposal for a continuing resolution (CR) that would keep the government funded through Oct. 31 while reversing the GOP's cuts to Medicaid made in their "One Big, Beautiful Bill."
Speaking to FOX Business, Schumer insisted the American people are on the Democrats' side because they don't want to see their healthcare "decimated."
He also said the White House and congressional Republicans "have refused to talk to us [Democrats]," adding, "They should come and talk to without conditions because the American people are suffering. Their healthcare is in shambles."
Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind, Paul Steinhauser and Dierdre Heavey contributed to this report.
