Schumer to support GOP funding bill, unwilling to risk government shutdown as deadline nears
- Share via
- Schumer said a shutdown would give President Trump and Elon Musk “carte blanche” as they tear through the government.
- The move by Schumer brings a potential resolution to what has been a days-long standoff.
WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer relented Thursday rather than risk a government shutdown, announcing he’s ready to start the process of considering a Republican-led government funding bill that has fiercely divided Democrats under pressure to impose limits on the Trump administration.
Schumer told Democrats privately during a spirited closed-door lunch and then made public remarks ahead of voting Friday, which will be hours before the midnight deadline to keep government running. The New York senator said that as bad as the GOP bill is, a shutdown would be worse, giving President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk “carte blanche” as they tear through the government.
“Trump has taken a blowtorch to our country and wielded chaos like a weapon,” Schumer said. “For Donald Trump, a shutdown would be a gift. It would be the best distraction he could ask for from his awful agenda.”
The move by Schumer brings a potential resolution to what has been a days-long standoff. Senate Democrats have mounted a last-ditch protest over the package, which already passed the House but without slapping any limits they were demanding on Trump and billionaire Musk’s efforts to gut federal operations.
The Democrats are under intense pressure to do whatever they can to stop Musk’s White House advisory team, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which is taking a wrecking ball to long-established government agencies and purging thousands of federal workers from jobs.
Trump himself offered to wade in Thursday to negotiate: “If they need me, I’m there 100%.”
But the president also began casting blame on Democrats for any potential disruptions, saying during an Oval Office meeting, “If it shuts down, it’s not the Republicans’ fault.”
California Democratic Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff say they will vote against a budget measure aimed at funding the federal government through Sept. 30.
Democrats are pushing a stopgap 30-day funding bill as an alternative. But Schumer said Republicans rejected that offer. And while Democrats were split over strategy, they worried about the further chaos they say Trump and Musk could cause if government was shut down.
Schumer told Democrats at a spirited closed-door lunch that he would be voting to proceed to the bill. His comments, first reported by the New York Times, were confirmed by two people familiar with the matter and granted anonymity to discuss it.
”People have strong views on both sides,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who is opposed to the package.
As the Senate opened Thursday, with one day to go before Friday’s midnight Eastern time deadline, Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, “It’s time for Democrats to fish or cut bait.”
Debates over funding the federal government routinely erupt in deadline moments, but this year it’s showing the political leverage of Republicans, newly in majority control of the White House and Congress, and the shortcomings of Democrats who are finding themselves unable to stop the Trump administration’s march across federal operations.
In a rare turn of events, House Republicans stuck together to pass their bill, with many conservatives cheering the DOGE cuts, leaving Democrats sidelined as they stood opposed. The House then left town, sending it to the Senate for final action.
Options for Schumer are limited, especially as the party is wary of fully withholding their votes and being blamed for a full shutdown of services.
Schumer announced that Democrats were unified in pressing for a 30-day stopgap measure as an alternative to the House-passed bill, which would instead fund operations through the end of the budget year in September.
With his party united, Schumer said the Republicans, who hold a 53-47 majority, lack the support needed to reach the 60-vote threshold, which is required to overcome a filibuster.
The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow restrictions on birthright citizenship to partly take effect while legal fights play out.
But Senate Republicans have shown little interest in Schumer’s offer.
As senators convened behind closed doors for another day of meetings, what is more likely is that they will have a chance to vote on the Democrats’ stopgap measure. If it fails as expected, the Senate would then turn to the broader bill for passage, hours before Friday’s midnight deadline.
“I’m in the camp of, like, don’t ever, ever shut the government down,” said Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.).
Over the next 24 hours, Democrats face this choice: Provide the votes needed to advance the package or stand in the way of passing the funding bill in time to avoid a shutdown when money expires midnight Friday.
“They’ll cave,” predicted Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn.
Cornyn said the Democrats “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.” He added, “I don’t know how you reconcile those two positions.”
But progressive Democrats, including allies in the House, are pushing Democrats to draw the line against Trump — even if it courts a federal shutdown.
Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said on social media that the House GOP bill will “supercharge Musk’s theft from working people to pay for billionaire tax cuts. Senate Democrats must stop it.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stepped into the fray, seeking to shift attention from Trump’s potentially damaging tariff war that has sent shudders through the U.S. economy.
“I can tell you what’s not good for the economy is this government shutdown,” Bessent said outside the White House. “I don’t know what Democrats are thinking here. They’re going to own it.”
But Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, has called Trump and Musk “two billionaires who don’t know the first thing” about what American families need.
In an highly unusual turn, the House package also required the District of Columbia, which already approved its own balanced budget, to revert back to 2024 levels, drawing outcry from the mayor and city leaders. They warn of steep reductions to city services.
Democratic senators are assessing next steps.
“Both choices that we are being offered are full of despair,” said Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.).
Mascaro and Jalonick write for the Associated Press. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville, Aamer Madhani, Leah Askarinam and Stephen Groves contributed to this report.
