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Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., gave his thoughts on what he considers to be a divide in the Democratic Party amid fallout from the longest government shutdown in U.S. history in an interview Thursday on “Will Cain Country.”
One impact of the shutdown, according to the senator from Louisiana, is the potential political shakeup within the Democratic Party that will land at the feet of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
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“Senator Schumer gambled, and he lost,” Kennedy said. “He’s kind of walking around now looking like a guy who just lost his luggage.”
“I think his testicles are on back order from China,” he added.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. (Rod Lamkey, Jr./AP Photo)
The power struggle, he said, is between what he called the “Bolshevik wing” of the party and old-guard politicians like Schumer. Schumer, Kennedy said, understands the “loons” within his party, but is “scared of them.”
The “socialist” wing of the party, according to Kennedy,” is led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. The folksy senator acknowledged AOC’s media prowess but argued she doesn’t have much to offer policy-wise.
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“The congresswoman is a creation of the media,” he said.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., talks with reporters outside the U.S. Capitol about members security after the murder of Charlie Kirk on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“I’ve never heard anybody describe her as a policy maven. My experience with her is if you scratch the surface, you just get more surface.”
Kennedy also proposed ideas to stop shutdowns in the future: No pay for members of congress while the government isn’t open.
Another idea he suggested was ensuring that members of Congress stay “within 100 miles of Washington, D.C.” during a shutdown.
Senate Republicans weren’t ready to go “nuclear” on the filibuster during the government shutdown, despite Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., pushing to change the rules for nominees earlier this year. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“If you do that, the shutdowns, if you have any, will be very short,” Kennedy said. “Now I can’t pass the second provision, but I think I can pass the provision saying that none of us can be paid during a shutdown.”
Kennedy said he did not take any of his salary during the shutdown.
Fox News host Will Cain also asked the Louisiana senator about his thoughts on the filibuster, a buzzword that emerged time and time again during the 43-day shutdown.
A filibuster is a tactic used to impede or delay the Senate from completing its business by a small group — or sometimes even just one — of senators. To override a filibuster, 60 votes are needed by a party.
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“The president called me last week — he’s dug in like a tick on getting rid of the filibuster. I told him, I kind of like the filibuster; I didn’t when I first came to the Senate,” Kennedy said. “But a senator’s job, I have learned, is not just to advance good ideas, it’s to kill bad ideas.”
He went on to reflect on what he said were “all of the bad ideas” proposed during former President Joe Biden’s time in office, saying that they would all be laws now if not for the filibuster.
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President Donald Trump repeatedly urged Republicans to override the filibuster during the shutdown, saying they should use what he called the “nuclear option.”
Watch Will Cain’s full interview with Sen. John Kennedy and more on “Will Cain Country” on YouTube and WillCainCountry.com.
