Senator Brian Schatz

They cut special ed.

They cut substance use treatment money.

They cut CDFIs, which are these local lenders, mostly for rural and tribal communities.

And they, in their sort of bubble on Pennsylvania Avenue, think those are like Democratic priorities or, as they say, Democrat priorities.

But it's Mike Rounds.

It's John Thune.

It's Tom Tillis.

It's Dan Sullivan.

It's Lisa Murkowski.

Everyone's freaking out saying, I don't know what gave you the idea that this wasn't a bipartisan program.

And so I think Russ Fott sort of overplayed his hand.

And I think as we see evidence that they've overplayed their hand, they're going to get even more sort of rhetorically nutty.

because I think people want us to fear the thing that has already happened.

And I think if the equities were a little different, right?

If we were saying, hey, look, if we move on, then Russ Vought will like cut it out, right?

That's one thing.

But Russ Vought has been doing all of these things all along, and he is not in possession of additional new authorities to lay off workers.

He's just in the possession of a Twitter account where he can say, let the rifts begin.

And I don't mean to diminish the severity, the importance, the illegality, the pain of all of this, but it is very hard –

To negotiate with someone who is threatening a thing that has already occurred.