This week, following weeks of using enormous and dubious executive power, Donald Trump will go in a new direction with his second administration by going to Congress to codify some of his efforts to change the country.
To keep government funds open until September 30th, House Republicans are hoping to vote on a measure. They have already abandoned negotiations with Democrats about a bipartisan bill, and if they are successful, it will set up a confrontation in the Senate that may lead to a devastating government shutdown.
The next step is for Democrats to determine if they will reject the proposal by launching a filibuster. Blocking it would put them in the position of having to claim responsibility for the government shutdown unless they can make the public believe it’s Trump’s fault. By letting the bill pass, they risk giving the impression that they are unable to stop Trump’s administration.
Millions of Americans’ lives and welfare might be profoundly affected by the drama around Friday’s funding deadline. Essential government workers might lose their salary and be furloughed if the government shuts down. It would cause problems for services like national park protection, border crossings, and airport security. It would add to the upheaval caused by Elon Musk’s indiscriminate destruction of the federal government and Trump’s tariff brinksmanship, both of which have been triggered by his return to the Oval Office.
On Sunday’s episode of Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” Trump further added fuel to the fire by refusing to say that a recession may happen this year. Despite a decline in the stock markets—which Trump often uses as a yardstick for economic success—he vowed to press on with his trade war tactics.
An important test for the Democrats in the Senate and Speaker Johnson
House Speaker Mike Johnson will face an early litmus test in the next congressional play on his ability to implement Trump’s agenda with a pitiful Republican majority. The conservative fiscal hawks and the far-right Freedom Caucus are usually the ones who are most turned off by stopgap budget packages. But Trump is claiming that this proposal, which freezes top-line spending but increases financing for his priorities like military and border protection, is a prelude to even worse federal cutbacks, and he is expecting unanimity on his side.
According to Republican leaders, members would have more time to adopt a future law codifying Musk’s federal cutbacks if the continuing resolution is passed. This would also prevent a GOP divide, which might impede Trump’s ambitious agenda, including his quest for massive tax cuts.
However, the House majority’s ability to operate has been called into question due to its decision to postpone crucial decisions and their failure to develop specific expenditure plans for particular government agencies. For example, the measure fails to address the urgent need to increase the government’s borrowing ceiling, which is another impending crisis that, if left unchecked, may trigger economic chaos in the coming weeks. Additionally, it does not include any provisions to formalize Musk’s attacks on federal government employment and programs, maybe because to the fact that they are becoming more contentious and may endanger GOP unity.
Trump hopes that Republican senators, who are often wary of such moves, would approve this short-term solution since MAGA base voters embrace Musk’s aim. In a post he made on Truth Social on Saturday, he pleaded on Republicans to vote yes next week and added, “NO dissident.”
Perhaps he is succeeding with his plan. Representative Chip Roy (R-TX), a notorious enemy of continuing resolutions, said last week on Steve Bannon’s podcast that he would support a temporary measure to keep the government running so that Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency may continue cutting expenditure. Additionally, the Freedom Caucus chairman, Rep. Andy Harris, stated his complete support for the bill. To ensure that the Department of Government Ethics (DOGE) can continuing rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse, Congress must maintain a fully functional government. The Republican from Maryland stated on X that this continuing resolution is essential to further President Trump’s objectives.
Some Democrats see this law as a green light for more mayhem from Musk.
In a watershed moment for the incoming Congress, House Democrats have made up their minds to reject the measure. The idea is a “power grab for the White House and further allows unchecked billionaire Elon Musk and President Trump to steal from the American people,” stated Rosa DeLauro, the senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. By failing to enact comprehensive funding legislation, the Connecticut lawmaker claimed, Republicans had ceded control to “an unelected billionaire.”
Following constituent pushback, the Tesla CEO has promised to meet with congressional Republicans to discuss his drastic budget cutbacks with them. Johnson plans to codify the savings in new laws by the end of the year, which would be a significant improvement over the present temporary fix.
After six weeks of Trump’s executive authority blitzkrieg, Democrats still lack a viable response. Their disjointed and fruitless demonstrations at last week’s president’s address to Congress demonstrated the party’s internal discord on future strategy.
Party leaders will be faced with a conundrum if the temporary spending measure makes it to the Senate. Their current move, which appears to be more of a PR stunt than a calculated political move, is to demand that the bipartisan discussions on full-year budget legislation that Trump and Johnson had put on ice resume.
Given the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate, the party has the capacity to oppose the proposal. However, if they fail to do so, it may further demoralize supporters and highlight the weakness of Democrats in Republican-dominated Washington.
However, Democrats run the danger of alienating their own voters and diverting attention away from the mounting political pressure on Trump and Musk if they succeed in blocking the measure and play a role in bringing the government and essential services to a halt. Democrats seek to prove the GOP is incapable of leading, while some Republicans think they shouldn’t interfere with what they perceive as Trump’s anarchy and wrongdoing. Reducing government spending in order to preserve it also sounds like an oversimplification. Additionally, there is political risk because a large portion of the American people back the president’s goals of reducing the size of the federal government, even while others question his approach.
Republican leadership failed, according to Sen. Andy Kim, who spoke with Jake Tapper of HEADLINESFOREVER on Sunday’s “State of the Union” and said that Johnson should have discussed a budget plan with Democrats. Kim requested a 30-day emergency measure to keep negotiations going. Johnson is demonstrating his incompetence as a governor at the moment, the Democrat from New Jersey continued, adding, ” He is the one who is currently withdrawing from this discussion of bipartisanship.
When asked whether he would reject the temporary package if it reached the Senate, Kim demonstrated the Democrats’ precarious stance. We don’t know the House’s intentions, so it’s not easy just yet, he added.
Some Democrats think the short-term bill doesn’t really matter since Trump, via Musk, has been cutting federal programs, employees, and agencies that Congress has already paid for—a move that is being challenged in court and perhaps illegal.
According to Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, who spoke on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the president has been spending the money whatever he wants, even though a budget was passed by both the Democrats and the Republicans. “Isn’t that a matter of the constitution?” The authority to appropriate funds is well-known to be with Congress. I will therefore refrain from casting my vote until I am certain that the measures we adopt next week will guarantee the funds are utilized in accordance with Congress’s intentions.
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray said the continuing resolution a “slush fund” that would give Trump and Musk more control over funds that states and districts need to help schools, veterans, families, and patients. “Instead of handing over control to the Trump administration with this bill, Congress should promptly pass a short-term CR to avoid a shutdown and complete work on bipartisan funding bills that invest in families, keep America safe, and ensure our constituents have a say in how federal funding is spent,” the Washington state Democrat added.
However, if Johnson and Trump succeed in the House, that door will be shut, forcing Senate Democrats to make a difficult decision that they aren’t ready to face just yet.