Democratic senator says his party is ready to shut down government over Trump's actions

Democratic Sen. Andy Kim (N.J.) said he and his fellow Democrats are ready to shut down the federal government over President Trump’s recent actions.

“I cannot support efforts that will continue this lawlessness that we’re seeing when it comes to this administration’s actions,” Kim said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “And for us to be able to support government funding in that way only for them to turn it around, to dismantle the government. That is not something that should be allowed.”

Kim joined the show on Sunday to discuss the ongoing action stemming from Trump and his administration. As Democrats grow frustrated with the changes, many are calling on them to protest.

He argued that his party is ready to shut down the federal government over the various actions, including shuttering the U.S. Agency for International Development and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) having access to federal payment systems.

“I’ve worked in government. I’ve worked through multiple government shutdowns. I would be the last person who would want to get to that stage, but we are at a point where we are basically on the cusp of a constitutional crisis,” Kim said. “Seeing this administration taking steps that are so clearly illegal.”

Trump has received sharp criticism over the administration’s recent actions, including saying he wants to take over Gaza. Some Democrats have said the idea would amount to “ethnic cleansing” and say it’s a distraction from all of the action within federal agencies.

Last weekend, DOGE officials gained access to the Treasury Department’s federal payment system, which controls $6 trillion annually and has access to Americans’ tax records.

Kim argued that Republicans need Democrats to help fund the government ahead of the March deadline.

“In a few weeks, the Republicans are going to try to figure out how they move forward and they have, for the last two years, needed Democratic votes for every single continuing resolution and they should not count on that this time,” Kim said.

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