The minority leader’s decision to reverse course prompted some Democrats to reconsider their position and drew criticism from those who refused to compromise.
WASHINGTON—Democrats are divided over Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) decision to support advancing a Republican government funding package.
On March 13, Schumer announced on the Senate floor that he would reluctantly support advancing the stopgap bill, saying that the alternative—a shutdown beginning at 12:01 a.m. (EST)—would be worse than passing the bill.
“The [stopgap] is a bad bill,” Schumer said minutes ahead of the cloture vote on March 14, reiterating his earlier comments. “But as bad as [it] is, I believe that allowing [President] Donald Trump to take more power is worse.”
Schumer said that a shutdown would increase Trump’s authority over the federal workforce, as presidents have certain heightened authorities during a shutdown.
The bill, which punts the deadline for government funding to Sept. 30, includes roughly $7 billion in spending cuts across the board. That stems from its $13 billion in nondefense spending cuts but is counterbalanced by increases in defense spending.
Democrats spent this week opposing the package in favor of an alternative proposal for a 30-day funding extension.
The day before he expressed his intention to avoid a government shutdown by supporting the bill, Schumer said that his fellow Democratic senators were united in their opposition to its passage, which would have been impossible without some Democrats’ support.
The minority leader’s decision to reverse course near the eleventh hour prompted some Democrats to reconsider their position and drew criticism from those who refused to compromise.
Top-ranking Democrats like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have been hesitant to rubber-stamp the move.
Jeffries on March 14 dodged a question about his upper chamber counterpart during a press conference. Asked whether it was time for new leadership in the Senate, Jeffries responded: “Next question.”
Pelosi—long recognized as a leading power player within the Democratic Party—openly rejected Schumer’s plan in favor of the 30-day proposal put forward by House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
“Democratic senators should listen to the women,” Pelosi said in a statement, saying that DeLauro and Murray “have eloquently presented the case that we must have a better choice: a four-week funding extension to keep government open and negotiate a bipartisan agreement.”
Pelosi said that Republicans’ stopgap plan “only makes matters worse. Democrats must not buy into this false choice. We must fight back for a better way. Listen to the women, For The People.”
“We urge all Senate Democrats to stand with House Democrats and with the American people, reject this [funding bill], and force House and Senate Republicans back to the negotiating table,” the letter read.
An amendment that would have reduced the duration of the stopgap to 30 days was defeated in the Senate.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a progressive who’s sometimes seen as a potential contender for a higher office in the future, also weighed in.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a progressive Democrat seen as a potential Senate contender one day, has also criticized her state’s senior senator.
She called the move “a huge slap in the face,” describing “a wide sense of betrayal” within the party.
