Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) was stunned into silence on Tuesday night after a CNN anchor confronted him with Energy Secretary Chris Wright's comments about the government shutdown.

Sheehy joined CNN's Kaitlan Collins on "The Source" to discuss the impact of the government shutdown on his community. Collins brought up that the Department of Energy recently nixed a $1 billion hydrogen production development that Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican, had previously praised for its potential to create jobs.

The senator demurred and tried to blame the government shutdown on Democrats, specifically Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the Senate minority leader.

Collins then told Sheehy that she had recently asked Wright about the project, and Wright said he planned to cancel the funding before the government shutdown.

Sheehy sat silently for several seconds.

"Well, that's unfortunate that we're still shut down," Sheehy said. "We shouldn't be."