Schumer Threatens Government Shutdown
Is the “Schumer Shutdown” inevitable?
New York Senator Chuck Schumer (D) took to the Senate floor on Wednesday to say that most Senate Democrats would not be supporting the Continuing Resolution passed by the House on Tuesday.
“Republicans chose a partisan path, drafting their Continuing Resolution without any input — any input — from congressional Democrats,” Schumer said.
“Because of that, Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on the House CR. Our caucus is unified on a clean April CR that will keep the government open and give Congress time to negotiate bipartisan legislation that can pass.
“I hope — I hope — our Republican colleagues will join us to avoid a shutdown on Friday,” Schumer concluded.
Without the support of at least some Democratic Senators, a partial shutdown of the government is all but inevitable, beginning at 11:59 pm Friday.
Currently the Republicans hold a 53-47 margin in the Senate, with 60 votes being needed to invoke cloture and stop a filibuster on the measure. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has already said he would oppose the CR, leaving the Republicans eight votes short.
As of Wednesday evening, only Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) had indicated his support for the CR. Some few other Independent and Democrat Senators had signaled that they might be amenable to supporting the bill, but this would still leave the Republicans short.
“Schumer Shutdown” began trending on social media shortly after Schumer’s statement. Multiple video clips from the past began appearing of Schumer taking exactly the opposite stance when Republicans threatened shutdowns.
In 2019, Schumer said, "We told the president we needed the government open. He resisted. In fact, he said he'd keep the government closed for a very long period of time."
Again in 2023, “The last thing Americans need right now is a pointless government shutdown. The shutdown will hurt just about every American,” Schumer insisted.
Rep. Wesley Hunt (TX-38) posted a compilation video of multiple Democrats, including Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, decrying Republicans for threatening shutdowns in the past.
The apparent hypocrisy of the Senior Senator from New York’s “hardball” approach to the CR aside, there are significant risks to allowing a shutdown at this time.
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) told reporters that “I’ve gone back and forth on this thing three times because it’s two horrible choices.”
A major concern of the Democrats is based on the fact that the President decides what is “essential” during a shutdown, temporarily giving him even more power. It’s likely that President Trump would regard Elon Musk and DOGE as essential, which could empower DOGE in ways the Democrats do not want to see.
The Democrats are insisting that the CR be amended to run only through April 30, instead of Sept. 30 as in the House’s version. Some view this as their last chance to get significant concessions from the administration and Republican majority before the fiscal year ends September 30th.
It’s possible Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Sen. Schumer can come to an agreement in time to avert a shutdown. Until then, Republicans are preparing to lay the blame for a government shutdown solely on the Democrats and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
