Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced Wednesday that Democrats would oppose the funding bill approved by House Republicans, deepening the threat of a government shutdown after his party frequently blasted Republicans in the past for threatening shutdowns.
The measure, a short-term stopgap known as a “continuing resolution,” passed the House largely along party lines on Tuesday. Every Republican except Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) supported the legislation, while Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) was the only Democrat to cross party lines in its favor. Without Democratic support, the bill faces significant obstacles in the Senate.
Republicans currently hold a three-seat majority, but without Democratic support, they face difficulty passing the bill due to Senate rules. Senatorial procedure requires bipartisan backing to overcome the 60-vote threshold, meaning Republicans would need Democratic votes to advance the measure. Senator Rand Paul’s (R-KY) opposition further complicates matters, leaving the GOP needing additional Democrats to support the bill.
“For years, House Democrats have railed against government shutdowns, but they suddenly changed their tune when President Trump returned to office. Their falsehoods and misinformation campaigns are a desperate attempt to distract from their own failures,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said after the successful House vote. The House speaker concluded his post by noting that Democrats will own a government shutdown if Senate members opt not to come through. “Now it’s decision time for Senate Democrats: cast a vote to keep the government open or be responsible for shutting it down,” Johnson said.
On Wednesday, Schumer announced that a government shutdown is almost certain, as Senate Democrats indicated they will vote in favor of it. “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,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Wednesday.
“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 11 CR that will keep the government open and give Congress time to negotiate bipartisan legislation that can pass,” the Senate minority leader continued, essentially admitting that his party is prepared to trigger a government shutdown.
Speaker Johnson placed Senate Democrats in a difficult position by adjourning the House after passing the stop-gap measure, effectively shifting pressure onto Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and his caucus. NBC News reported that Schumer met with prominent Senate Democrats during a lunch meeting on Wednesday to deliberate their next steps. Democrats reportedly entered the discussion divided over whether to support the temporary funding bill or risk responsibility for a government shutdown, with some members voicing serious concerns about the consequences of blocking the measure.