Schumer is a thorn in the side of President Trump’s. He’s always trying to cause trouble.
And Chuck Schumer was caught doing this one devious thing to destroy Trump’s agenda.
In a dramatic turn of events, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) declared on Wednesday that the vast majority of Senate Democrats will not back a funding bill passed by House Republicans, a move that virtually guarantees a partial government shutdown starting at 11:59 p.m. on Friday. The bill, which cleared the House on Tuesday night by a razor-thin margin of 217-213, aimed to keep federal operations running through September. But with Schumer’s announcement, the nation now braces for its 11th partial shutdown since 1980.
Speaking from the Senate floor, Schumer criticized the Republican approach, arguing that keeping the government funded should unite both parties. “Funding the government should be a bipartisan effort, but Republicans chose a partisan path, drafting their [continuing resolution] without any input — any input — from congressional Democrats,” he said. Instead, he rallied his caucus around a “clean” continuing resolution (CR) that would extend funding only through April 11, buying time for bipartisan talks on a more comprehensive plan.
The math in the Senate tells a stark story. Republicans hold a 53-47 edge, but any bill needs 60 votes to break a filibuster. That means at least seven Democrats would have to cross party lines to support the House-passed measure. Complicating matters further, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has already voiced opposition, raising the bar to eight Democratic votes if every senator shows up. So far, that support isn’t materializing.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), fresh off Tuesday’s victory in the lower chamber, threw down the gauntlet after the vote. “Decision time for Senate Democrats: Cast a vote to keep the government open or be responsible for shutting it down,” he said in a statement. Johnson accused Democrats of staging “a shameful display of coordinated political theater” to thwart what he calls the “America First agenda.” With the House now recessed until March 24, the ball sits firmly in Schumer’s court—either swallow the House bill despite protests from progressive voices or let the government grind to a halt.
A Party Divided, But Mostly United
Before Schumer’s stance became official, cracks had appeared among Senate Democrats. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was the lone Democrat to openly endorse the House GOP’s plan, while Sens. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Angus King (I-Maine), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) hinted they might be persuadable. But after a tense caucus lunch on Wednesday, the tide turned decisively. “At least for now, I don’t see the votes, based on my reading of the end of the meeting,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) told reporters. “I don’t see the votes there right now for passing their House Republican CR.”
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) captured the internal struggle, admitting to reporters, “I’ve gone back and forth on this thing three times because it is two horrible choices.” He pointed out a quirky twist: a shutdown hands President Trump the power to decide which federal functions are “essential” and stay operational, potentially amplifying his influence. Meanwhile, a senior Senate Democratic aide raised a different fear when speaking to the New York Post: “A shutdown leaves Elon Musk alone in the candy store,” a nod to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Musk’s push to slash federal spending and staff. “It wouldn’t be your grandfather’s shutdown,” the aide warned.
The Progressive Push and GOP Pressure
Liberal activists see this funding clash as their last major leverage point until the fiscal year 2026 budget talks kick off in the fall. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) sounded the alarm on X, urging action: “Everyone needs to call their Dem Senator right now. They are starting to cave. TODAY is the showdown.” Her plea reflected a growing anxiety that Democrats might buckle under pressure.
Republicans, meanwhile, are playing hardball. The House-passed CR keeps most funding steady but boosts defense by $6 billion and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by $10 billion, offset by $13 billion in cuts to non-defense programs. Only one House Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), backed it.
Representing a battleground district, Golden called the bill imperfect but warned that “a shutdown would be worse.” He also pushed back on claims from his own party that the CR slashes social programs like veterans’ care.
“There are no cuts to veterans care in the period covered by this bill, and we have six months to ensure funding continues into the next fiscal year,” he said, accusing some Democrats of mimicking “cynical GOP political tactics” with misleading rhetoric.
Tuesday’s House vote marked a milestone— the first time since retaking the chamber in 2023 that Republicans passed a CR without Democratic help. Now, they’re betting that a Senate rejection will paint Democrats as the villains.
“Every hour that passes only puts them on an island where it’s obvious they have no plan — and the headlines are, ‘Will Democrats shut down the government?’” a senior Senate Republican aide gloated. Another GOP adviser predicted that if the CR dies by Friday night, “this will be a Dem-engineered shutdown.”
What’s Next?
Democrats had quietly hoped House Republicans would stumble on Tuesday, leaving them to shoulder the blame. That didn’t happen. Now, with the clock ticking, the next big fight looms on the horizon: the debt ceiling, expected to hit in June. Republicans are already scheming to tuck a debt limit hike into President Trump’s agenda package, designed to dodge a Senate filibuster and keep the pressure on Democrats.
For now, though, all eyes are on Friday’s deadline. Will Schumer hold firm, or will enough Democrats blink? The answer will determine whether Washington stays lit—or goes dark.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
