Senate Minority Leader Backs GOP Spending Bill

On Thursday evening, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced his support for a spending bill put forth by House Republicans, designed to fund the government until the end of the fiscal year. This move indicates that a sufficient number of Senate Democrats may ultimately join Republicans to avert a government shutdown ahead of the looming Friday midnight deadline.

“While the CR bill isn’t perfect, the consequences of a shutdown would be far worse for our country,” Schumer remarked on the Senate floor, following a statement from around two dozen Senate Democrats who firmly opposed the proposal.

Concerns Over Partisan Spending Bill

Schumer voiced his apprehensions regarding the Republican spending bill, calling it “deeply partisan.” He stressed his fears about the potential outcome of “allowing Donald Trump to gain even more influence through a government shutdown.”

Other Democrats might follow Schumer’s lead. Currently, Senator John Fetterman from Pennsylvania is the only Democrat to publicly announce his support for the House-endorsed spending bill, describing the opposition as “total theater.” For the bill to succeed without inciting a shutdown, at least five more Senate Democrats would need to cast their votes in favor.

Earlier in the day, Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, who were previously viewed as potential supporters, joined the increasing number of Democrats opposing the GOP resolution. Although Republicans hold a Senate majority, they still fall seven votes short of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster, creating significant pressure on over a dozen Democrats who have not ruled out the possibility of supporting the GOP bill to avoid a shutdown.

Details of the Proposed Spending Measure

The proposed measure, spearheaded by Senate Majority Leader John Thune from South Dakota, seeks to fund the government at the previous year’s levels until September, while also cutting non-defense spending by $13 billion and increasing military spending by $6 billion. Additionally, it aims to slash funding from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, reversing recent IRS investments intended for tax enforcement and curtailing expenditures on social programs.

Despite Schumer’s decision to support the bill, many Democrats have raised concerns, arguing that it would advance the administration’s agenda to dismantle federal agencies, which they refer to as Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. There are also fears among party members that a shutdown could inadvertently help Trump gain permanent power to undermine government functions. The last government shutdown, which took place during Trump’s first term, lasted about 35 days—the longest in modern history.

Democrats Weighing Options

“What everyone is dealing with is that neither option is favorable,” remarked Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, who opposes the bill, while addressing reporters on Thursday afternoon. “This President has put us in a position where, regardless of the outcome, many constituents will suffer. People are trying to figure out what represents the least harmful solution.”

Trump has been vocal in attempting to shift the blame for a potential shutdown onto Democrats, despite his party’s control over 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 package: “We’re discussing immediate work on the greatest tax bill ever passed.”

A Quinnipiac University poll released on Thursday indicated that 32% of registered voters would blame Congressional Democrats for a shutdown, while 31% would hold Republicans responsible, and 22% would point to Trump.

Pressure on Schumer and Progressive Democrats

As the deadline draws near, Schumer has come under considerable pressure from constituents and progressive House members to oppose the GOP bill. Late Wednesday, he publicly urged Republicans to consider a vote on a 30-day stopgap measure, although 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 regarding efforts to negotiate with Republicans.

“You don’t confront a bully by handing over your lunch money, and you don’t stop a tyrant like Trump by granting him more power,” added Senator Jeff Merkley from Oregon in a video posted on X, underscoring Democrats’ concerns that the GOP bill could empower the Trump Administration to slash government programs and eliminate federal employees.

Nevertheless, Senate Republicans remain optimistic that Democrats will bend before the deadline. “They’ll cave,” predicted Senator John Cornyn of Texas, prior to Schumer’s announcement of his support for the bill. “They have been criticizing Elon Musk and the Trump Administration for reducing the federal workforce, and now they seem willing to put many of these employees out of work by shutting down the government.”