Before midnight, Senate Democrats must make a decision—allow the Republican-backed short-term spending bill to come to the floor or let the federal government run out of money and enter a shutdown.
Republicans are attempting to prevent a partial shutdown of the federal government by passing a continuing resolution, which would roughly extend the spending levels of the Biden administration for seven weeks and buy time for the regular appropriations process.
The stopgap funding bill already passed through the House of Representatives on mostly partisan lines, but faces headwinds in the Senate, where Republicans need at least seven Democrat caucus votes in order to bring it to the floor.
After leaving a meeting with President Donald Trump and Republican congressional leaders Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., suggested the two sides were not much closer to a deal, citing “very large differences” on the matters of health care and the president’s ability to unilaterally cut funding.
But it bears remembering that Democrats allowed a similar CR—essentially the same bill—to pass in March after much tough talk of opposing it.
Schumer and nine other Democrat caucus senators joined in voting to end debate on the bill, with Schumer citing the White House’s enhanced powers in shutdowns. These senators will again be key players in deciding how Washington gets out of its funding quagmire.
Of these 10 senators, one has already declared himself a yes: Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a swing state.
“It is always, always wrong to shut our government down,” he said Sunday on Fox News. “If you want to win the policies, win elections. And that’s really the way democracy works.”
Another key player to watch is Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who helped pass the March CR and, since he is retiring at the end of his term, is somewhat immune to any outrage in the Democrat base if he helps keep the government open.
Durbin has already suggested there’s a possible off-ramp from shutdown gridlock, saying Monday that if Republicans provide guarantees that they will extend expiring healthcare premium tax credits, it would be a “real mark of progress.”
Retirement could be a great shield from the backlash that could follow assisting Republicans in keeping the government open.
In addition to Durbin, Sens. Gary Peters of Michigan and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, both of whom backed the CR in March, have also announced plans to retire at the end of their terms. That adds up to three persuadable Democrats who have no fears of this vote hurting their re-election chances.
There’s also the 81-year-old independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who was re-elected in 2024, and is likely immune to the political dangers of supporting a CR as he did in March. Even if he sought re-election in his late 80s, this seven-week CR would be a distant memory. Besides, King, who is nominally independent, does not have to worry about competing in a Democrat primary.
Additionally, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada do not face re-election races until 2030 and 2028, respectively, so they are likely immune to the electoral consequences of acquiescence. Both voted to assist the Republican CR in March.
Should Schumer decide to back off of his shutdown threats and let the CR pass, there will be a fair number of Senate Democrats for whom such a move would not be a political catastrophe.
Related posts:
- Schumer Threatens Government Shutdown, Something He, Other Senate Dems Decried as ‘Chaos’ in March
- Schumer Prepares for Battle in Shutdown Showdown
- Who Will Blink First as Congress’ Shutdown Stare-Down Begins?