Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on Thursday evening that he would support advancing a spending bill proposed by House Republicans, aimed at funding the government through the end of the fiscal year. This development suggests that a sufficient number of Senate Democrats may ultimately align with Republicans to prevent a government shutdown ahead of the Friday midnight deadline.
“Although the CR bill is far from ideal, the ramifications of a shutdown are significantly worse for our nation,” Schumer stated on the Senate floor, following a declaration from two dozen Senate Democrats firmly opposing the proposal.
Schumer expressed his concerns about the Republican spending bill, labeling it “deeply partisan.” However, he emphasized his worries about the potential for “allowing Donald Trump to gain even more power through a government shutdown.”
Other Democrats may follow Schumer’s example. Currently, Sen. John Fetterman from Pennsylvania is the only Democrat to publicly state he will support the House-approved spending bill, describing the opposition as “total theater.” For the bill to succeed without triggering a shutdown, at least five additional Senate Democrats would need to vote in favor.
Earlier on Thursday, Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, who were previously considered potential supporters, joined the growing list of Democrats opposing the GOP resolution. Although Republicans hold a majority in the Senate, they are still seven votes short of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster, creating immense pressure on over a dozen Democrats who haven’t dismissed the idea of voting for the GOP bill in order to prevent a shutdown.
The proposed measure, led by Senate Majority Leader John Thune from South Dakota, seeks to fund the government at previous year’s levels through September, while reducing non-defense spending by $13 billion and raising military spending by $6 billion. Additionally, it plans to cut funding from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, reversing new IRS investments aimed at tax enforcement and reducing social program expenditures.
Despite Schumer’s decision to support the bill, many Democrats have criticized it, arguing that it would further the administration’s agenda to dismantle federal agencies through what they refer to as Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. There are also concerns among party members that a shutdown could inadvertently benefit Trump, allowing him to permanently undermine government functions. The last government shutdown, which occurred during Trump’s first term, lasted approximately 35 days—the longest in modern history.
“What everyone is grappling with is that neither option is good,” noted Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, who opposes the bill, while speaking to reporters on Thursday afternoon. “This President has put us in a position where, regardless of the outcome, many constituents will be adversely affected. So, people are trying to determine what represents the least harmful outcome.”
Trump has proactively attempted to place the blame for a possible shutdown on Democrats, despite his party’s control of Congress. “If there’s a shutdown, it will solely be due to Democrats,” he informed reporters on Thursday. He also hinted at leveraging the situation to push 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 attribute blame for a shutdown to Congressional Democrats, while 31% would hold Republicans accountable, and 22% would point fingers at Trump.
With the deadline approaching, Schumer has faced significant 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, though such legislation was expected to fail. “These games won’t fool anyone. They won’t deceive voters, nor will they mislead House members. People will not forget,” warned Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive Democrat from New York, in a post on X regarding attempts to find a compromise 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 Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley in a video shared on X, highlighting Democrats’ fears that the GOP bill would provide the Trump Administration with unchecked authority to cut government programs and remove federal employees.
Senate Republicans, however, remain confident that Democrats will yield 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.”
The political ramifications of a shutdown are still unclear. A prolonged shutdown would disrupt federal services, lead to furloughs, and delay payments for government employees. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent cautioned that such an event would inflict considerable harm on the economy. “I can assure you that a government shutdown is detrimental to the economy,” he stated outside the White House on Thursday. “I’m unsure what the Democrats are thinking here; they will bear the consequences.”
