Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who faced criticism earlier this year for siding with Republicans to keep the government open, now says he is prepared to risk a shutdown at month’s end if GOP leaders reject Democratic demands.
Schumer said he and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries are aligned in opposing any spending measure that excludes key health care provisions or allows for their rollback. He argued the political landscape has shifted since March, when he pressed to avoid a shutdown, and predicted Republicans and President Donald Trump would bear the blame if they refuse to strike a bipartisan deal.
“Things have changed” since the March vote, Schumer said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday. He stated that Republicans have since enacted Trump’s significant tax cuts and spending reduction legislation, which has led to cuts in wasteful Medicaid spending and other government programs.
Schumer, a New York Democrat, noted that his party is now united, in contrast to March, when he voted alongside Republicans while Jeffries voted against the legislation to fund the government. Schumer argued that a shutdown would not significantly worsen the current climate, with Trump already challenging Congress’s authority.
“It will get worse with or without it, because Trump is lawless,” Schumer told the AP, though Trump’s administration has faced an unprecedented amount of lawsuits since he took office and began issuing executive orders, many of which have been blocked by courts.
Schumer’s warning comes as Republicans weigh a short-term stopgap spending bill to avert a Sept. 30 shutdown. Without a bipartisan agreement, Democrats face two difficult options — join Republicans to keep the government open or allow it to close with no clear path forward, the AP reported.
Republicans argue Democrats will bear responsibility if they refuse to vote to keep the government open. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has stressed that Schumer must present a concrete proposal on health care, including extending expanded tax credits under the Affordable Care Act for millions of Americans.
