Congress continues to be a thorn in Trump’s side. It’s about to get a lot worse.
Because a U.S. Senator went rogue to leak a shocking plan Democrats are working on to usurp Trump.
Democrats’ Reckless Drive Toward Government Shutdown
Senate Democrats are ramping up calls for a high-stakes confrontation with Republicans, urging their leadership to block bipartisan funding deals and force a government shutdown this fall in a bid to challenge President Trump’s agenda. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy stands at the forefront of this aggressive strategy, insisting that Democrats abandon cooperation on appropriations bills needed to sustain federal operations for the next fiscal year.
“Every single day, there’s new evidence that our democracy is falling, and you’ve got to take stands. You have to take fights,” Murphy told Politico in an interview. “I just worry — every time that we go along with these appropriations bills, we’re putting a bipartisan veneer of endorsement on an illegal process that’s ultimately part of his [Trump’s] campaign to destroy our democracy.”
Murphy’s stance comes amid growing demands from the party’s far-left wing for Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to escalate opposition to the president, potentially refusing to back any funding agreement in September and triggering widespread disruptions.
The three-term senator has positioned himself as one of the most vocal opponents of Trump in the initial 200 days of his second term, consistently rejecting the president’s nominees and legislation that garnered cross-aisle backing in the Senate.
Murphy recently aligned with fellow Trump detractors, such as Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, during the launch of the “F*** Around And Flip The House” tour on August 3, fueling speculation about his ambitions for a 2028 White House bid.
This refusal to engage with Republicans on funding arrives as Senate Majority Leader John Thune confronts a September 30 deadline to avert a lapse in government services, emphasizing GOP willingness to collaborate for the required 60 votes while cautioning that Democrats would bear the blame for any resulting chaos.
Murphy is encouraging his Democratic colleagues to defy Republicans in the funding process, asserting that the president “doesn’t give a fuck what we write” into bills allocating resources for government functions.
He was one of a small group in the Senate Democratic Caucus to oppose three funding measures before the August recess, joined by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a prominent progressive advocate who urged Schumer to confront Republicans instead of compromising on government financing.
Schumer has not yet outlined his strategy for the impending funding battle set to intensify next month, though he issued a detailed “dear colleague” letter in July warning of a partial shutdown if Republicans pursued further cuts against Democratic wishes.
Despite that, Schumer endorsed the three funding bills passed before the break and has indicated temporary support for bipartisan discussions on the matter. Thune has highlighted the internal pressures on Schumer from activist elements within his party, following backlash in March when Democrats provided votes to fully fund the government through the fiscal year.
This push for obstruction is a part of a continued trend of Democratic extremism that has alienated key voter groups, contributing to the party’s historic lows in public approval as revealed in recent surveys.
Polls indicate Democrats now face their deepest credibility crisis in decades, with perceptions of being “out of touch,” “woke,” and “weak” driving away working-class voters, Hispanics, and young men who increasingly view the party as prioritizing cultural radicalism over economic priorities.
A majority of Americans see Democrats as having veered too far left, with 58 percent believing the party has embraced extreme positions compared to 47 percent saying the same about Republicans, exacerbating losses among non-college-educated workers and fueling calls for a complete reboot of the party’s image.
“Increasingly, you’re seeing the tail wagging the dog in the Senate,” Thune said on the Ruthless podcast in July. “So, you know, it’s Elizabeth Warren, it’s [Independent Vermont Sen.] Bernie Sanders, it’s [Democratic New Jersey Sen.] Cory Booker, Chris Murphy, kind of the left of the left in the Senate.”
