Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer indicated Thursday night he would assist in passing a House GOP spending measure. This bill aims to fund the government through the fiscal year’s end, suggesting enough Senate Democrats will likely join Republicans to prevent a government shutdown before Friday’s midnight deadline.
“While the [continuing resolution] bill is very bad, the potential for a shutdown has consequences for America that are much, much worse,” Schumer stated on the Senate floor. This came hours after about two dozen Senate Democrats voiced firm opposition. This action marked a significant change for Schumer, who had previously asserted that the bill lacked sufficient Democratic support.
Senate rules require 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, but Republicans hold a 53-47 majority. This means they need seven Democrats to join them. After days of private discussions and intense internal debate, Schumer ultimately decided Democrats had little choice but to concede and keep the government operational. This was despite many in his party disliking the idea of supporting legislation they didn’t help create.
“Look, the bottom line is you have to make these decisions based on what is best for not only your party but your country,” Schumer told reporters after his speech. “I firmly believe and always have that I’ve made the right decision.”
His decision was immediately criticized by progressive Democrats in both the House and Senate. They had urged the Senate to stand firm against a bill they considered an unacceptable surrender to Republican priorities. House Democrats, who unanimously opposed the bill earlier in the week, were particularly angered. “Those games won’t fool anyone. It won’t trick voters, it won’t trick House members. People will not forget it,” warned Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive Democrat from New York, in a statement hours before Schumer’s move.
The Democratic discord highlighted the party’s challenging position. On one side, two dozen Senators argued for taking a stand, even if it meant a temporary shutdown. On the other, some feared a shutdown would only strengthen Trump and his allies, notably Elon Musk, who has been working with the administration on government restructuring.
“A shutdown would give Donald Trump and Elon Musk carte blanche to destroy vital government services at a significantly faster rate than they can right now,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.
The Republican bill largely maintains current government funding levels through September 30 and gives Trump broad discretion over federal spending. Many Democrats fear this could allow the administration to target disfavored government workers and programs, cutting jobs and resources without congressional approval. The bill also reduces non-defense spending by $13 billion and increases military spending by $6 billion. Additionally, it scales back funding from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act by reversing IRS investments for tax enforcement and reducing social program spending.
Schumer described the Republican spending bill as “deeply partisan” but expressed greater concern about “allowing Donald Trump to take even much more power via a government shutdown.”
Other Democrats might follow Schumer. Before his announcement, only Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania had publicly supported the bill, calling opposition to it “total theater.” As of Thursday night, over two dozen Democrats remained skeptical or uncommitted. Republicans need only five more Senate Democrats to support the bill to avoid a shutdown, which seems likely after Schumer’s move.
Earlier Thursday, Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, previously considered potential “yes” votes, joined the growing number of Democrats opposing the GOP resolution. Intense pressure has been applied to over a dozen Senate Democrats, many from swing states, who hadn’t ruled out supporting the GOP bill to prevent a shutdown.
Some Democrats suggested attaching a 30-day stopgap measure as an amendment, allowing them to symbolically oppose the Republican bill while ultimately allowing it to pass. Schumer told reporters Thursday night that no agreement had been reached on amendments, but Senate Democrats would “try to get some amendments on the bill” to provide some party members cover for voting for the package.
Trump has preemptively tried to blame Democrats for a potential shutdown, despite his party controlling Congress. “If there’s a shutdown, it’s only going to be because of Democrats,” he told reporters Thursday.
A poll released Thursday found that 32% of registered voters would blame Democrats in Congress for a shutdown, while 31% would blame Republicans in Congress and 22% would blame Trump.
Even before Schumer’s decision, Senate Republicans were confident Democrats would concede before the deadline. “They’ll cave,” predicted Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, on Thursday morning. “They have been railing against Elon Musk and the Trump Administration over reductions in force of the federal employees, and now they basically want to put all of them out of work by shutting down the government.”
The political ramifications of a shutdown remain unclear. The most recent government shutdown occurred during Trump’s first term and lasted about 35 days, making it the longest in modern history. Another extended shutdown would halt federal services, furlough workers, and delay government employee paychecks.
“I think what everyone is wrestling with is that this is like either outcome is terrible, right?” Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, who opposed the bill, told reporters Thursday afternoon. “This President has put us in a position where, in either direction, lots of people’s constituents are going to get hurt and hurt badly. So people are wrestling with what is the least worst outcome.”
