WASHINGTON — The head of Senate Democrats took steps to remove the possibility of a government shutdown from the agenda, following an intense internal battle among legislators who were grappling with the most effective ways to counter President Trump’s swift moves to reduce the size of federal agencies.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said he would vote to advance a Republican measure, set for Friday afternoon, to fund the government through the rest of the year. Earlier, in a closed-door lunch, he also said that enough Democrats would join him to help the Republicans clear the chamber’s critical 60-vote hurdle, people familiar with the matter said.
I will cast my ballot to maintain governmental operations and prevent ashutdown," Schumer stated on the Senate floor, describing the Democratic Party's options as akin to a Hobson’s choice where all choices lead to unfavorable outcomes. While he deemed the Republican plan unsatisfactory, Schumer viewed the possibility of a government closure even more detrimental, effectively handing President Trump control over "the city, the state, and the nation.
For several days, Democrats had grappled with how to handle the Republican proposal, which grants the administration greater leeway to reduce and abolish federal agencies—a move strongly opposed by Democrats but generally supported by Republicans. This appropriations bill offered Democrats an uncommon opportunity to exert influence in the GOP-led Congress, prompting calls from House Democrats and advocates for senators to utilize this chance as a means of resistance.
"People are grappling with, what is the lesser of two evils?" Senator Martin Heinrich (D., N.M.) stated, adding that he would oppose the Republican Party’s bill. "To be clear, I've reached my conclusion. When facing a bully, one must stand up to them," he added.
However, Democratic senators were equally concerned that ashutdown might not compel Republicans to negotiate but could instead benefit Trump, possibly allowing him to gain greater authority to permanently close additional sections of the federal government without an apparent escape route.
When declaring his intended vote, Schumer stated that Trump acts as a nihilist who has "used a blowtorch on our nation" and cautioned that the president might choose "to selectively reopen certain portions of the government," prolonging the shutdown.
After yet another lengthy gathering of Senate Democrats, Schumer voiced his position on the floor. When questioned late Thursday by journalists about whether an adequate number of Democratic senators would align with him to secure sufficient votes for passing the legislation, Schumer replied, "Each member is deciding independently."
The previous day, Schumer had cautioned that they did not have sufficient Democratic votes at that point to move the measure forward.
In the absence of action from Congress, the governmentshutdown would begin at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday.
Republicans stated that Democrats had to acknowledge their circumstances and support the bill, otherwise facing a "Schumer shutdown" as labeled by certain Republican legislators. Such an outcome could lead to ashutdown. furlough hundreds of thousands from federal employees and limit various governmental activities; however, essential services would still be maintained.
"If there's ashutdown, even the Democrats agree it would be their responsibility," Trump stated.
Given that Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) has already indicated he would vote against it, they will need eight Democratic senators to support the bill to achieve the required 60 votes. Although the House approved the legislation earlier this week, they departed shortly after, providing insufficient time for the Senate to make amendments.
Democrats advocated for a different approach, proposing to extend federal financing for 30 days. This was meant to provide additional time to negotiate a standard comprehensive appropriations bill. Such legislation would explicitly affirm that Congress holds the constitutional authority over governmental expenditures.
However, the 30-day bill stood no chance of clearing the Republican-led Senate, which left Democrats with the most optimistic outcome being a vote on an amendment offering them political cover without substantive impact. Some other Democrats labeled the proposition as nothing more than a charade.
"Grandstanding is not only dishonest with voters but also fails to succeed," Senator John Fetterman (D., Pa.) angrily stated in a X post, where he mentioned his support for the Republican proposal.
"Those games won't deceive anybody. They won't mislead voters, nor will they fool House members. People won't overlook this," stated Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.). She encouraged Democratic senators to firmly oppose the Republican proposal on X.
House Democrats mostly stuck together in opposing the bill earlier this week. However, unlike the Senate members, they didn’t possess enough power to prevent it from passing.
A number of Senate Democrats released an array of video messages and declarations outlining their stance against the Republican-sponsored resolution. Senators who voiced their disapproval for both the legislation itself and the crucial procedural vote include: Mark Warner from Virginia, Adam Schiff from California, Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut, Ruben Gallego from Arizona, and Mark Kelly also from Arizona.
However, some remained tight-lipped.
For Democrats, a significant concern is that the Republican Party's full-year continuing resolution does not include the report outlining how the executive branch should allocate funds, program by program. This document would provide Democrats with their strongest opportunity to defend the continuation of closed programs in court proceedings.
This week, the Education Department revealed plans to reduce approximately half of its staff And the Veterans Affairs Department announced intentions to reduce its staff by approximately 70,000 employees. This reduction comes in addition to the cuts planned by the Social Security Administration to save costs , causing concern among Democrats that this might make it more difficult for individuals to receive benefits.
On Thursday, a federal judge ordered Multiple federal agencies plan to bring back thousands of provisional workers who were let go the previous month.
The ongoing resolution would mainly prolong financing for fiscal 2025 at the previous year’s rates; however, there are notable exceptions such as reducing non-defense expenditures by $13 billion and boosting defense spending by $6 billion.
It would additionally expose former President Joe Biden’s The signature Inflation Reduction Act has had another $20.2 billion deducted from the segment of Internal Revenue Service funding generated under this legislation with the aim of enhancing tax compliance. This repeated reduction effectively doubles the cuts specified in the fiscal year 2024 spending bill, thereby nearly nullifying the enhancement in enforcement capabilities granted to the IRS in 2022.
The spending bill also compels Washington, D.C., to make more than $1 billion in cuts.
Send your correspondence to Siobhan Hughes. Siobhan.hughes@wsj.com and Lindsay Wise at lindsay.wise@wsj.com
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