The Daily Signal - The Shutdown is Here, Sombrero-Gate, Secretary of War's Quantico Address | Oct. 1, 2025

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Starting point is 00:00:25 We'd love to talk. Business. The Senate fails to prevent a government shutdown while Democrats are furious over Sombrero Gate, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivers a major address to U.S. military brass at Quantico. I'm Tony Kinnett, host of the Daily Signals Tony Kinnett cast, syndicated nationally at 7 p.m. Eastern. It is Wednesday, October 1st, 2025. This is the Daily Signals top news in 10. Yesterday evening, Senate Democrats voted in almost unison to defeat a House bill to fund the government through November 21st,

Starting point is 00:01:08 putting Washington through a shutdown that began at midnight last night. In the 80-vote threshold, having not been received, achieved, the bill upon reconsideration is not passed. Democrat senators John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Catherine Cortez Mastow of Nevada were the only two Democrats to vote in favor of the Republican drafted measure, an independent, though he often caucuses with the Democrats, Angus King of Maine also voted for the Republican measure. Though two Democrats and an independent ended up voting in favor of the measure that still kept the bill shy of the 60 votes that were needed to pass the continuing resolution. Rob Bluey joined us from Capitol Hill to tell us a little bit more about what we can expect

Starting point is 00:01:55 in this particular shutdown, how long it's going to. going to last and what it's going to take to get us out of it. Of course, earlier this year, Trump and Republicans did a masterful job of branding at the Schumer shutdown. You've started to see Republicans revamp some of that language to put the blame squarely on the shoulders of Chuck Schumer for his unwillingness to bring along those handful of Democrats. I think there were nine Democrats in March who ended up voting for the bill. So I do think that if Russ vote and you you picked up precisely on the pressure point that I think Democrats are going to feel, If he starts to take action where he presses forward with these reduction in force agreements,

Starting point is 00:02:34 the Democrats will start to squirm because the unions and others who protect those workers are certainly not going to want to see people on the receiving end of a pink slip. We know that Schumer can kind of play, well, hardball in a way, although he does have AOC breathing down his back. There are some swing state senators, though, the ones that aren't retiring, that are a little bit more nervous, that are looking at the potential of a longer government shutdown as possibly being a real negative to their campaigns in the upcoming midterms,

Starting point is 00:03:08 which by the way, totally pops the narrative that this is going to hurt Republicans in the midterm elections. What rumors are you hearing Hillside on maybe the, let's say, slightly more purpley Democrats, senators, although few they may be squirming? Yeah. I mean, again, historically, the party that's not in power tends to do better in midterm elections.

Starting point is 00:03:31 And in this particular case, you would think that Democrats might have an upper hand. However, the polls don't really bear that out. That's exactly what I'm typing into the computer right now. Exactly. And so Republicans, you could look at a number of polls. You could look at generic ballot. You could look at the issue polls. I mean, voters tend to trust Republicans on the issues that matter most to the American people.

Starting point is 00:03:51 And so I don't think that the Democrats are necessarily going to benefit. from some of those headwinds that they've had in the past. The other thing that the Democrats are banking on here is they're advocating for these COVID-era healthcare subsidies. Now, just a couple of things on this. And I expect that those same senators that you're talking about are going to be the ones that are championing this the most because they see this as an issue where they think they have an advantage over Donald Trump.

Starting point is 00:04:18 However, the COVID emergency ended over two years ago, and it was done by Joe Biden. By the way, Joe Biden was also the one who oversaw the passage of these extended subsidies, which are rife with waste, fraud, and abuse, as we've known from the analysis that has been done by esteemed health care scholars. And the final point is the Democrats were the ones that put the expiration date in at the end of 2025. So the Democrats obviously thought they should expire. COVID is no longer a national emergency. Joe Biden ended it. And for any Democratic, who are going to make this really the issue that they try to champion, I think Republicans will easily swat it down and point to all of the bloated government spending that happens in Washington,

Starting point is 00:05:04 D.C. as a reason why we need to have a serious conversation about the debt and deficit in this country. Meanwhile, all of the ire from House and Senate Democrats appear to be focused on sombrero gate. President Trump two days ago posted a video of Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in front of the press after they had come out of the White House meeting to hopefully avoid the shutdown. Chuck Schumer's voice was manipulated through AI to talk about how unpopular Democrats have become with the American people. And Hakeem Jeffries was sporting a P&G, that being a transparent image, of a sombrero and a handlebar mustache, as mariachi music played in the background. Look, guys, there's no way to sugarcoat it. Nobody likes Democrats anymore. We have no voters left because of all of our woke.

Starting point is 00:05:52 trans bull shi not even black people want to vote for us anymore even latinos hate us so we need new voters and if we give all these illegal aliens free health care we might be able to get them on our side so they can vote for us they can't even speak english so they won't realize we're just a bunch of woke pieces of shi you know at least for a while until they they learn english and they realize they hate us too. Hakeem Jeffery's first response was exceptionally angry. Mr. President, the next time you have something to say about me, don't cop out through a racist and fake AI video.

Starting point is 00:06:39 When I'm back in the Oval Office, say it to my face. This followed by a similarly angry response from Representative Teresa Fernandez. and her choice pronunciation of the word sombrero. That's right. And then what does that shameful man do? After a meeting where you're supposed to be working out details, where you're supposed to be negotiating a deal, you post something that draws a sombrero and a mustache

Starting point is 00:07:11 on the leader with whom you're supposed to be. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer took part of his time on the floor of the Senate last night to complain about the video. Yesterday, the president posted an offensive, deep, fake AI video of Leader Jeffries and me. With sombreros, fake music, impersonating my voice through AI, it wasn't me, talking even more lies about health care and immigration. Listen to this, America. Hours away from a shutdown, which we don't want, the American people don't want.

Starting point is 00:07:45 The president is busy trolling away on the Internet. like a 10-year-old. And that's exactly why Americans are going to blame him if the government shuts down. And then just in case you thought you had seen the last of this particular scandal, Akeem Jeffries then took the stage again in front of the media after the final bill had failed and the incoming government shutdown was on a lot of people's minds to call the video racist once more before the evening was out. It was a fake video.

Starting point is 00:08:17 It was a disgusting video. It was a racist video. It was unbecoming of anyone purporting to be the president of the United States of America. And lastly, Secretary of War Pete Hegeseth delivered a major address to U.S. military brass at Quantico in Virginia yesterday. Today is about people. And it's about culture. The topic today is about the nature of ourselves. because no plan, no program, no reform, no formation will ultimately succeed unless we have the right people and the right culture at the War Department.

Starting point is 00:09:00 If I've learned one core lesson in my eight months in this job, it's that personnel is policy. Personnel is policy. The best way to take care of troops is to give them good leaders committed to the warfighting culture of the department. Not perfect leaders, good leaders, competent, qualified, professional, agile, aggressive, innovative, risk-taking, apolitical, faithful to their oath and to the Constitution. Eugene Sledge in his World War II memoir wrote, quote, war is brutish, inglorious and a terrible waste. Combat leaves an indelible mark on those who are forced to endure it. The only redeeming factors are my comrades' incredible bravery and their devotion to each other. In combat, there are thousands of variables, as I learned in Iraq and Afghanistan,

Starting point is 00:09:56 and as so many of you did in so many more places. Leaders can only control about three of them. You control how well you're trained, mostly how well you're equipped, and the last variable is how well you lead. After that, you're on your own. Our warfighters are entitled to be led by the best and most capable leaders. That is who we need you all to be. Even then in combat, even if you do everything right, you may still lose people because the enemy always gets a vote.

Starting point is 00:10:28 We have a sacred duty to ensure that our warriors are led by the most capable and qualified combat leaders. This is one thing you and I can control. And we owe it to the force to deliver it. Before you go, head down to the description and make sure your subscribed to the Tony Kennedcast and join us tonight at 7 p.m. Eastern for a roundup of the day's news and nonsense. Government shut down or no, we'll be here. I'm Tony Kennett, and this has been the Daily Signal's top news in 10. Take care.

The Daily Signal - The Shutdown is Here, Sombrero-Gate, Secretary of War's Quantico Address | Oct. 1, 2025

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