Democrats have once again found themselves in disarray as the party attempts to navigate the impending shutdown.
After the House Republicans passed their continuing resolution Tuesday almost along party lines, all eyes have been on Senate Democrats. In order to bring the CR to the floor, the Senate must first clear a procedural vote called cloture, which requires 60 senators to pass.
The GOP holds 53 seats, and Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has already said he will vote against the CR, which means at least eight Democrats will have to reach across the aisle and vote to pass the bill if they want to avoid a shutdown. Up until yesterday, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat who said he would vote in favor of the CR.
‘While the CR bill is very bad, the potential for a shutdown has consequences for America that are much, much worse.’
At the same time, the CR is studded with anomalies that Democrats have opposed, such as extra funds for ICE and cuts to community projects.
This leaves Democrats with a seemingly impossible choice to either fund the government with President Donald Trump’s funding bill or shut it down altogether. While Republicans have remained relatively united, this conundrum is actively fracturing the Democratic Party.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) initially signaled that he was in support of a shutdown, with many other Democrats joining him and digging their heels in. But since then, Schumer has had an 11th-hour conversion, announcing Thursday evening that he would be voting in favor of the CR, sending the Democratic Party into a frenzy.
“It’s not really a decision; it’s a Hobson’s choice,” Schumer said in a floor speech. “Either proceed with the bill before us, or risk Donald Trump rowing America into the chaos of a shutdown. This, in my view, is no choice at all. While the CR bill is very bad, the potential for a shutdown has consequences for America that are much, much worse.”
President Trump later thanked Schumer on social media for demonstrating “courage” and pledging to support the CR.
“Congratulations to Chuck Schumer for doing the right thing — Took ‘guts’ and courage! The big Tax Cuts, L.A. fire fix, Debt Ceiling Bill, and so much more, is coming. We should all work together on that very dangerous situation. A non pass would be a Country destroyer, approval will lead us to new heights,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Again, really good and smart move by Senator Schumer. This could lead to something big for the USA, a whole new direction and beginning!”
High-profile Democrats immediately began to tear into Schumer following his reversal. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) called his decision a “betrayal,” and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) also expressed strong opposition without explicitly naming Schumer.
Some reports are even suggesting that Democrats will prop up primary opponents to unseat Schumer following his stunt.
“There are members of Congress who have won Trump-held districts in some of the most difficult territories in the United States, who walked the plank and took innumerable risks in order to defend the American people … just to see some Senate Democrats even consider acquiescing to Elon Musk,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters. “I think it is a huge slap in the face, and I think that there’s a wide sense of betrayal.”
“House Democrats will not be complicit,” Jeffries said. “We remain strongly opposed to the partisan spending bill under consideration in the Senate.”
House and Senate Democrats originally devised an alternative funding bill that would extend funding for 30 days and theoretically allow them to craft a CR they could support. That being said, this strategy has been a tough sell for Democrats, as they are in the minority in both the House and the Senate, giving them little to no bargaining power.
Even still, Schumer’s surrender has been a sore outlier for the Democratic Party, with several senators insisting that they won’t cave the way their leader did. Some reports are even suggesting that Democrats will prop up primary opponents — perhaps even AOC — to unseat Schumer following his stunt.
So while House and Senate Democrats were left seething, Schumer seems keen on avoiding a shutdown. We will have to wait and see whether anyone else bends the knee.
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Chuck schumer, Hakeem jeffries, Aoc, Alexandria ocasio-cortez, John fetterman, Senate democrats, Senate, Senate republicans, House, House republicans, House democrats, Donald trump, Mike johnson, Schumer shutdown, Government shutdown, Cr, Continuing resolution, Spending fight, Funding fight, Elon musk, Politics
