Rep. Anna Paulina Luna sharply criticized the U.S. Senate this weekend, calling it “very corrupt” as a partial government shutdown drags on and tensions between the House and Senate intensify.
In a lengthy post Sunday on X, Luna said the Senate was deliberately standing in the way of President Donald Trump’s agenda. “I also have respect for our Speaker, and this is not directed at him,” Luna wrote. “The Senate is very, very corrupt. Many of the Senators we would consider our ‘friends’ don’t want the filibuster removed because they don’t actually want President Trump’s agenda to succeed.”
Her remarks came after the Senate voted Friday by a wide margin to pass a funding package that included five regular appropriations bills along with a two-week stopgap measure for the Department of Homeland Security.
The partial shutdown is expected to continue until at least Tuesday, as House Democrats have not committed to supplying the votes needed to fast-track legislation to fully reopen the government.
The standoff has unfolded amid heightened scrutiny of the Department of Homeland Security, which has faced backlash over aggressive immigration enforcement tactics. The controversy has intensified following two fatal shootings by federal immigration officials in Minneapolis, prompting bipartisan criticism and renewed calls for the resignation of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
Luna’s comments highlight growing frustration among House Republicans who believe Senate procedures — particularly the filibuster — are being used to slow or block Trump’s priorities. Her attack also underscores a widening rift within the GOP, as lawmakers publicly accuse one another of undermining the president during a critical funding fight.
As negotiations continue, the shutdown has become another flashpoint in an already volatile political moment, with immigration policy, internal party divisions, and control of Congress colliding at once.
