On Thursday evening, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer revealed his intention to back a spending bill put forth by House Republicans, which aims to fund the government until the end of the fiscal year. This announcement indicates that a number of Senate Democrats may ultimately join forces with Republicans to avert a government shutdown as the Friday midnight deadline looms.
Schumer remarked on the Senate floor, “While the Continuing Resolution is far from perfect, the consequences of a shutdown would be far more damaging to our nation,” following a statement from around two dozen Senate Democrats who have vocally opposed the bill.
Schumer voiced his apprehensions regarding the Republican spending proposal, calling it “highly partisan.” Nevertheless, he underscored his fears about the possibility of “empowering Donald Trump further through a government shutdown.”
Other Democrats might take a cue from Schumer’s stance. Currently, Senator John Fetterman from Pennsylvania is the sole Democrat to publicly announce his support for the House-approved spending measure, labeling the opposition as “pure theatrics.” To avoid a shutdown, at least five more Senate Democrats would need to back the bill.
Earlier that day, Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, who were once seen as potential supporters, entered the ranks of Democrats opposing the Republican resolution. Even though Republicans hold the Senate majority, they are still seven votes short of the 60 needed to break a filibuster, putting significant pressure on more than a dozen Democrats who haven’t ruled out supporting the GOP bill to prevent a shutdown.
The proposed legislation, spearheaded by Senate Majority Leader John Thune from South Dakota, aims to maintain government funding at last year’s levels through September, while trimming non-defense spending by $13 billion and increasing military spending by $6 billion. Moreover, it seeks to roll back funding from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, reversing new IRS investments targeting tax enforcement and slashing social program budgets.
Despite Schumer’s decision to back the bill, numerous Democrats have criticized it, arguing that it would further the administration’s goal of dismantling federal agencies, a strategy they associate with what they call Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. There are also worries within the party that a shutdown could inadvertently aid Trump in undermining government functions. The previous government shutdown during Trump’s first term lasted around 35 days, marking the longest in modern history.
“The reality is that neither choice is favorable,” commented Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, who opposes the bill, while addressing reporters on Thursday afternoon. “This President has placed us in a situation where, regardless of what happens, many constituents will face negative consequences. Thus, people are trying to discern what represents the least harmful option.”
Trump has actively sought to shift the blame for a potential shutdown onto Democrats, even though his party controls Congress. “If there’s a shutdown, it will solely be due to Democrats,” he told reporters on Thursday. He also suggested leveraging the situation to advocate for a new tax reform initiative: “We’re discussing immediate work on the greatest tax bill ever passed.”
A Quinnipiac University poll released on Thursday revealed that 32% of registered voters would hold Congressional Democrats accountable for a shutdown, while 31% would blame Republicans and 22% would point fingers at Trump.
As the deadline approaches, Schumer has encountered considerable pressure from constituents and progressive members of the House to oppose the Republican bill. Late on Wednesday, he publicly called on Republicans to consider a vote on a 30-day stopgap measure, though such legislation was anticipated to fail. “These games won’t fool anyone. They won’t mislead voters, nor will they deceive House members. People will not forget,” warned Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive Democrat from New York, in a post on X while discussing potential compromises with Republicans.
“You don’t confront a bully by giving them 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, emphasizing Democrats’ concerns that the GOP bill could grant the Trump Administration unchecked authority to cut government programs and eliminate federal jobs.
However, Senate Republicans remain optimistic that Democrats will ultimately capitulate before the deadline. “They’ll cave,” predicted Senator John Cornyn of Texas, just prior to Schumer’s announcement of his support for the bill. “They’ve been criticizing Elon Musk and the Trump Administration for decreasing the federal workforce, yet now they appear willing to put many of these employees out of work by allowing the government to shut down.”
The political fallout from a shutdown remains uncertain. A prolonged shutdown would interrupt federal services, lead to furloughs, and delay payments for government employees. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that such an occurrence would cause considerable damage to the economy. “I can assure you that a government shutdown is harmful to the economy,” he stated outside the White House on Thursday. “I’m not sure what the Democrats are thinking; they will face the repercussions.”
