Democratic Party fractures in gov’t shutdown fight
WASHINGTON—The Democratic Party was fracturing Friday as a torrent of frustration and anger was unleashed at Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Chuck Schumer, who faced what they saw as an awful choice: shut the government down or consent to a Republican funding bill that allows President Donald Trump to continue slashing the federal government.
After Schumer announced that he would reluctantly support the bill, he bore the brunt of that anger.
Nine other members of the Democratic Caucus—a contingent of mostly swing-state and retiring senators—eventually joined Schumer in voting to advance the Republican funding proposal, providing crucial support to bring it to a final vote. It passed late Friday with Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Angus King of Maine voting with Republicans in favor.
Political momentum
Since their election losses, Democrats have been hunkered against a barrage of Trump’s early actions in office, locked out of legislative power and left searching for a plan to regain political momentum. But as Schumer let pass one of the rare moments when the party might regain leverage in Washington, the Democratic Party erupted in a moment of anger.
Many in the party felt the New York Democrat was not showing sufficient fight, arguing that a government shutdown would have forced Trump and Republicans to the negotiating table. Yet for Schumer, who has led Senate Democrats since Trump took office in 2016, the choice ultimately came down to preventing a shutdown that he believed would only hand Trump more power and leave his party with the blame for disruptions to government services.
“A shutdown would allow DOGE to shift into overdrive,” Schumer warned on the Senate floor Friday, referring to the Department of Government Efficiency effort led by Elon Musk. He was also able to secure a Senate vote on a bill that would restore federal funding for Washington, that had been cut by House Republicans.
‘No’ to final vote
Schumer voted no on the final vote for the funding bill, which only needed a simple majority to pass. Nonetheless, House Democrats released a stream of angry statements and social media posts aimed at Schumer.
Democratic Rep. Troy Carter of Louisiana on social media shared a photo of Trump and Schumer engaged in conversation with the caption, “A picture is worth a thousand words!”
Even in the Senate, hardly any Democrats were speaking up in support of Schumer’s strategy Friday. It was a remarkable turn for the longtime Democratic leader, leaving him standing practically alone.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, his longtime ally and partner in funding fights of the past, said in a statement, “Let’s be clear: neither is a good option for the American people. But this false choice that some are buying instead of fighting is unacceptable.”
Pelosi added that the senators should have listened to a proposed 30-day stopgap plan instead of the Republican proposal that provides funding until September.
The Republican bill will trim $13 billion in nondefense spending from the levels in the 2024 budget year and increase defense spending by $6 billion.
