In their hearts, long-time Democrats knew Chuck Schumer’s shutdown choice was coming. Some were anticipating the top Senate Democrat to spearhead their initial major confrontation with President Trump, but she has instead left them enraged.
After admitting on Thursday night that he would support Republicans’ short-term spending plan—the party’s biggest political weapon in Trump’s reelection—Schumer’s caucus now faces the harsh political truth: With only hours to spare before the deadline, Democrats had no viable alternatives to prevent a government shutdown.
There is no way out if we enter a shutdown; I warned my caucus about this. Because of their entire submission to Trump, DOGE, etc., the Republican House and Senate have decided how to end a shutdown and what steps to take to avoid it. Schumer warned reporters Thursday night that they may keep us in a shutdown for months and months.
The decision of the Democratic leader shocked his House colleagues across the US Capitol and privately disappointed many in his caucus. It has left the party deeply divided on what to do next, just when their base is demanding a strong response to Trump and Elon Musk’s efforts to drastically change the federal government.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) described the Democrats’ current situation as “perverse and bizarro land,” where they must choose between allowing Donald Trump to destroy the country in one way or another.
This is the culmination of months of preparation. Still, leading Democrats in Congress had a hard time settling on a unified message and plan that would give them an advantage in the fight but not put thousands of government employees in jeopardy due to the possibility of a shutdown.
Their top two leaders chose different approaches, with Schumer voting for the GOP plan that top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries has spent an entire week criticizing—perhaps the most glaring indication of the issue.
“Doing the right thing is never a problem; the timing is always perfect,” Dr. King famously said, even if no one can see it coming. Today, the Democrats in the House took the moral high ground. We refused to be bullied by Donald Trump. Defeating Elon Musk was our mission. At a party retreat in Leesburg, Virginia, on Thursday night, Jeffries reportedly told the assembled party members, “We stood up against the extreme MAGA Republicans,” who were applauded. By supporting the will of the American people, we are able to justify that vote.
Many Democrats are hoping that Friday’s vote in the Senate will show how divided the chamber is along generational lines. Some freshman senators, including Arizona’s Ruben Gallego and Michigan’s Elissa Slotkin, were expected to vote in favor of the measure due to their seats in areas that Trump won in November. However, they remained strongly opposed and made it clear that they intended to use the funding bill as a weapon against the president. Furthermore, the chasm illustrates a pent-up animosity inside the Democratic Party that extends well beyond the nation’s capital.
Rep. Jim McGovern expressed his anger to HEADLINESFOREVER minutes after Schumer’s floor address. “I have no idea if they will become more resilient in the face of the reconciliation battle….” Trump is destroying the nation. And I was hoping for a little more conflict, you know.
For months, Democrats have fretted over how to deal with the closure. There have been lengthy party lunches, unending discussion, and little clarity on what many Democrats would do as a result of the option between voting for a shutdown and voting for a measure that many feel includes severe cutbacks in funding to programs that are vital to Democrats.
A minimum of eight Democratic senators’ votes are required to keep the government open and prevent a shutdown. According to four people familiar with the matter, Schumer used Thursday to discreetly inquire with members as to whether they intended to move forward with the House-passed budget package that would allocate funds to the government until the conclusion of September. Moreover, during a long lunch on Thursday, some senators who wished to remain anonymous in order to discuss internal party discussions discreetly informed HEADLINESFOREVER that they were certain the votes would be in their favor to prevent a government shutdown.
In a much-anticipated statement on Thursday, Schumer stated, “I believe it is my job to make the best choice for the country to minimize the harms to the American people.” This speech made it plain that Democrats would give the votes that the GOP needed to keep the government open.
But as the week progressed, a number of Democrats remained staunchly opposed to the bill. On Thursday, Gallego joined six other senators in announcing their intention to vote no on the stopgap measure, citing worries about program cuts and the possibility that supporting it would encourage Trump and Musk to repurpose funds from earlier funding measures.
We must not deceive ourselves. This terrible resolution strips funding for Arizona’s water requirements, deserts our wildland firefighters, and gives Elon Musk and his associates carte blanche to keep slashing veterans’ benefits. In a statement, Gallego said that he was voting no because he wanted to show his disapproval.
On the final vote as well as the procedural vote to move the proposal, retiring senator Tina Smith of Minnesota stated her opposition to the bill.
Senate Democrats have voiced their growing dissatisfaction by claiming their party leaders lack decisiveness on next steps. Democratic leader Chuck Schumer went on the Senate floor the day before he informed his caucus he would vote to move the measure forward and declared his caucus was unanimous against moving the bill forward.
We don’t know how we got ourselves into this jam. It was inevitable. There is no strategy. We are being held responsible. The progressives are quite angry, according to a senior Democratic aide who spoke with HEADLINESFOREVER. Our argument is well-developed. The necessary direction and leadership on how to pursue that has simply been lacking.
A number of Democratic senators were approached for comments about the efficacy of their party’s plan, but they chose not to participate.
Just now, the fact that this bill isn’t a CR is really getting under my skin. According to Gallego, “the fact that Trump thinks that cutting wildfire firefighters and water in Arizona is a good thing for this country astounds me. I’ll think about the other question at a later time and date once we get past this.” The new budget bill is set to cut veteran services by $1.2 billion, FEMA by $300 million, and water in Arizona.
Legislators were left stunned thirty miles away by rumors that Schumer was plotting to join Republicans in voting, even though over a hundred House Democrats had convened for a strategy retreat. They were fuming behind closed doors over his about-face, which was a straight retreat from the stance that almost their whole caucus had adopted only two days before. Some people wanted him to step down as leader.
However, the majority chose not to make public comments, citing concerns about further escalating the already acrimonious schism within the Democratic Party. The reaction of the House Democrats was characterized by one senior aide as “collectively ripsh*t.”
The Democrats, behind the scenes, blamed their party for a number of mistakes. To begin with, the vast majority of Senate Democrats had no idea the House could approve a temporary budget resolution with the support of only Republicans. After that, Speaker Mike Johnson, backed by Trump’s considerable influence, managed to persuade over 30 conservatives to support a stopgap budget package, even though they had previously voted against it.
After having the opportunity to vote against a budget measure without directly threatening a shutdown, several Democrats in the Senate have voiced their tremendous dissatisfaction with the assaults they have suffered from their colleagues in the House, who they feel have put them in a difficult position. Nearly every Republican in the House voted “yes” to send the measure forward to the next chamber.
There is a risk of a government shutdown if not enough Democrats vote “yes” in the Senate. On the other hand, leftists such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York have been calling their senators’ offices to urge them to reject the measure.
The sight of these tweets is “infuriating,” as one Democratic senator told HEADLINESFOREVER.
According to another Democratic office that spoke with HEADLINESFOREVER, they received over four thousand calls in one day due to the base’s overwhelming demand.
Speaking to reporters, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez expressed her belief that there is a profound feeling of anger and betrayal.
Members of Congress who were elected in Trump-held districts in some of the most vulnerable areas of the country risked everything to protect the American people, their Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits. It irritates me that Senate Democrats are even contemplating caving in to Elon Musk.
Additionally, House Democrats rationalized their choice to increase pressure on the Senate prior to it being evident that Schumer planned to withdraw.
Republican Scott Peters, speaking to HEADLINESFOREVER, expressed his belief that the Senate’s six-year tenure were given for a purpose. I’m here to fight. What we could do has been done. It is crucial that they perform their capabilities.
The Democratic representative from Nevada, Susie Lee, told HEADLINESFOREVER that she has personally approached the two senators from her state with the pitch. Lee represents a very swing district in the state.
They hold the presidency, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. Lee stated that they had decided not to negotiate with them. Democrats in the Senate were “fearful” of a shutdown, as the Nevada Democrat said. She countered that Democrats could simply tell their constituents that the budget shortfall was caused by Republicans and not by themselves.
In my opinion, it’s not a difficult assignment. It’s government policy. The majority is with them,” Lee stated. “I believe it’s important for them to take responsibility.”