Democrats are playing very dirty games with what little power they have.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) made it clear Wednesday that not enough Democrat lawmakers are on board with the GOP funding measure that passed the House earlier this week. The continuing resolution (CR) that was introduced has sparked heated debate, with lawmakers scrambling to find a solution to keep the government funded amid a looming shutdown deadline.
This bill, which aims to keep the government running, has drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle. While it passed the House, it has faced pushback from certain Republicans, including Representative Thomas Massie, who opposed the bill despite pressure from former President Donald Trump to support it.
As the clock ticks toward a potential government shutdown, Senate Democrats are pushing for their version of a CR, which would extend funding through April 11. This would give both parties the necessary time to finalize their delayed spending bills. However, Schumer has made it clear that Democrats are united on the matter, insisting that Republicans lack the votes in the Senate to pass their version of the CR.
Schumer, speaking from the Senate floor, stated, “Our caucus is unified on a clean April 11 CR. Republicans do not have the votes.” He’s referring to the fact that 60 votes are needed to overcome procedural obstacles in the Senate, but Republicans only have 53 votes in the chamber. If the Senate were to pass the House version of the bill, it would fund the government through September.
Schumer took to social media to emphasize his stance, asserting, “Funding our government needs to be a joint bipartisan act. But the GOP chose a partisan one sided path, drafting their CR without any consideration from the Democrats. Because of that, Republicans don’t have the votes they need in the Senate to pass the House bill.”
Republicans, however, remain steadfast in their criticism of Schumer’s approach. Senate Republicans pointed out that President Trump was right in his warning that Democrats would oppose any effort to keep the government open, simply because it was spearheaded by Republicans.
House Speaker Mike Johnson also weighed in, calling out Schumer’s hypocrisy, “Every House Democrat except one voted in favor of shutting down the government. Chuck Schumer needs to make a decision: are Senate Democrats going to keep our government funded, or will they join forces with the House Democrats to shut it down?”
With the deadline fast approaching, the Senate must act quickly, passing a funding bill by Friday night to avoid a government shutdown. The fight over funding is far from over, and with partisan divisions widening, the path forward remains unclear. For many conservatives, it’s a frustrating reminder of the political gridlock that continues to stall progress in Washington.
