On Thursday evening, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced his intention to support a spending bill put forth by House Republicans, which aims to keep the government funded through the end of the fiscal year. This announcement indicates that a number of Senate Democrats may join Republicans in a bid to avert a government shutdown as the Friday midnight deadline looms.
“While the continuing resolution (CR) bill isn’t perfect, the consequences of a shutdown are far more detrimental to our nation,” Schumer remarked from the Senate floor, after a group of two dozen Senate Democrats expressed strong opposition to the proposal.
Schumer voiced his reservations about the Republican spending plan, calling it “deeply partisan.” He conveyed his concern over the possibility of “empowering Donald Trump even further through a government shutdown.”
It’s possible that other Democrats could follow Schumer’s lead, with Senator John Fetterman from Pennsylvania being the only Democrat to openly endorse the House-approved spending bill, referring to the opposition as “total theater.” For the bill to pass without risking a shutdown, at least five more Senate Democrats would need to support it.
Earlier on Thursday, Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, who were initially seen as potential supporters, added their names to the list of Democrats opposing the GOP resolution. Even though Republicans hold a majority in the Senate, they still require seven more votes to reach the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster, which places considerable pressure on more than a dozen Democrats who have not yet ruled out voting for the GOP bill to prevent a shutdown.
The legislation, spearheaded by Senate Majority Leader John Thune from South Dakota, aims to maintain government funding at the previous year’s levels until September, while cutting non-defense spending by $13 billion and increasing military spending by $6 billion. Furthermore, it proposes reductions to funding from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, reversing new IRS investments intended for tax enforcement and curtailing social program expenditures.
Despite Schumer’s decision to back the bill, many Democrats have criticized it, claiming it supports the administration’s agenda to dismantle federal agencies, which they derisively refer to as Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. There are fears among party members that a shutdown could inadvertently empower Trump, allowing him to permanently weaken government operations. The last government shutdown during Trump’s first term lasted about 35 days, making it the longest in modern history.
“What we’re all trying to navigate is that neither option is favorable,” commented Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich from New Mexico, who opposes the bill, while addressing reporters on Thursday afternoon. “This President has placed us in a situation where, no matter the outcome, many constituents will face negative consequences. So, we are all trying to figure out which option is the least harmful.”
Trump has been vocal in attempting to shift the blame for a potential shutdown onto Democrats, despite his party’s control of Congress. “If a shutdown occurs, it’ll be solely because of the Democrats,” he told reporters on Thursday. He also suggested leveraging the situation to advocate for a new tax reform package: “We’re discussing immediate work on the greatest tax bill ever passed.”
A recent Quinnipiac University poll revealed that 32% of registered voters would blame Congressional Democrats for a shutdown, while 31% would hold Republicans responsible, and 22% would point to Trump.
As the deadline approaches, Schumer has encountered significant pressure from constituents and progressive House members to resist the GOP bill. Late on Wednesday, he called on Republicans to consider a vote on a 30-day stopgap measure, although such legislation was expected to fail. “These games won’t fool anyone. They won’t mislead voters, nor will they mislead House members. People will not forget,” warned Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive Democrat from New York, in a post on X regarding the attempts to negotiate with Republicans.
“You don’t face a bully by handing over your lunch money, and you don’t stop a tyrant like Trump by granting him more power,” added Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley in a video shared on X, reflecting Democrats’ concerns that the GOP bill would give the Trump Administration the authority to cut government programs and dismiss federal employees without checks.
Nevertheless, Senate Republicans remain optimistic that Democrats will ultimately concede before the deadline. “They’ll cave,” predicted Senator John Cornyn from Texas, prior to Schumer’s announcement of support for the bill. “They have been criticizing Elon Musk and the Trump Administration for reducing the federal workforce, and now they seem willing to put many of these employees out of work by shutting down the government.”
The political fallout from a shutdown remains uncertain. A lengthy shutdown would disrupt federal services, lead to furloughs, and delay payments for government employees. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that such an event would significantly harm the economy. “I can assure you that a government shutdown is detrimental to the economy,” he stated outside the White House on Thursday. “I’m not sure what the Democrats are considering; they will face the consequences.”
