“This madness must end,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press event Friday, calling on Democrats to end their government shutdown’s “intentional sabotage of our country.”

Leavitt was citing a statement released earlier in the day by Business Roundtable CEO Joshua Bolten urging Democrats to reopen the government by voting for a continuing resolution to fund the government that’s identical to the previous one, which Democrats voted to pass:

"Just this morning, Business Roundtable — an association of more than 200 CEOs of America's leading companies representing every sector of the U.S. economy — put out a statement urging Congress to pass the clean C.R."

“This madness must end,” Leavitt said, deeming the Democrats’ actions “an intentional sabotage of our country and our people.”

“All we need are five Democrat senators to do the right thing and to stop this shutdown,” the press secretary said, alluding the number of Democrat votes needed to break their party’s filibuster of the continuing resolution.

.@PressSec: "Just this morning, Business Roundtable — an association of more than 200 CEOs of America's leading companies representing every sector of the U.S. economy — put out a statement urging Congress to pass the clean C.R." https://t.co/5482JbBizH pic.twitter.com/wTnGih9E8J

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 3, 2025