Senate Democrats leery of blocking GOP bill fear shutdown politics have changed
Senate Democrats are leery of blocking a House Republican-drafted six-month government funding bill, fearing that a government shutdown may backfire on them politically by giving Elon Musk and the Trump administration more leverage to force federal workers into retirement.
Democratic senators panned the House GOP proposal unveiled over the weekend, arguing it would erode Congress’s power of the purse and give President Trump and Musk a blank check to redirect government funding and eliminate long-standing programs.
But Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) stopped short of declaring the House bill dead on arrival in the Senate, reflecting Democratic qualms about killing the measure if it manages to pass the lower chamber later this week.
In past standoffs, Democrats have felt confident that government shutdown politics played to their advantage, as the media often put scrutiny on Republicans during spending lapse — or Democrats were able to blame conservative agitators for shutdowns.
Now there’s growing fear among Democrats that Trump could feel politically emboldened to let a shutdown drag on for many weeks, and that, in turn, could give Musk more leverage to push federal workers to retire, as many might feel financial pressure to look for work in the private sector if they have to endure weeks without a paycheck.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said there’s growing uncertainty about how long federal departments and agencies would remain shuttered if Congress fails to pass a spending bill by the Friday deadline.
Kelly warned Monday that Trump or Musk could make a government shutdown as painful as possible to federal workers.
The Arizona senator said he’s concerned about “Musk, who is shutting down parts of the government already.”
“Who knows what he’s going to want to open back up?” he predicted.
“That is a huge risk,” he warned. “Maybe they decide that entire government agencies don’t need to exist anymore.”
Schumer, uncharacteristically, did not speak on the Senate floor when the chamber opened for the week Monday, holding his cards close to the vest until he had a chance to consult with his leadership team.
“We’re going to talk about that in a few minutes,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told reporters as he walked into Schumer’s office when asked about how he would proceed on the government funding legislation.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), another member of Schumer’s leadership team, said Democrats will try to press Republicans to instead accept a short-term funding stopgap. That would give Democrats another chance to negotiate a bipartisan spending bill that would avoid cuts to nondefense programs.
“We need a short-term CR. The Republicans are already shutting down government. We need a short-term CR so that we can get our funding back on” track, she said, referring to a continuing resolution.
If Congress fails to pass all the regular appropriations bills by April 30, under the Fiscal Responsibility Act enacted in 2023, government programs would face an across-the-board 1 percent cut.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) warned Monday, however, that Senate Democrats would own the results of a government shutdown if they vote later this week to block any House-passed stopgap funding proposal.
“We’ll have an opportunity to act on it here. It will be up to the Democrats on whether they want to deliver the votes and keep the government from shutting down. I hope they will do that,” he said.
Thune would need at least eight Senate Democrats to vote for the stopgap to reach the 60-vote threshold required to overcome a filibuster.
Senate Republicans control 53 seats, but Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has said he will vote against the continuing resolution.
Democratic senators are hoping the continuing resolution unveiled this weekend, which would fund the government through September, fails in the House.
That would give Schumer leverage to negotiate a shorter-term stopgap funding measure that treats defense and nondefense programs more equitably. The House GOP-drafted bill would increase defense spending by $6 billion and cut nondefense programs by $13 billion.
Democrats warn it would also give Trump nearly unfettered authority to shift funding within the bill because it lacks detailed instructions on how to allocate money, something that was traditionally attached to past continuing resolutions.
Senate Democrats are publicly expressing doubt about House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) ability to pass a spending bill by relying almost entirely on votes from his GOP conference, predicting House Democrats will remain unified in opposition to the House Republican proposal.
“Nobody ever knows what the House is going to actually do, so we should just wait until the House takes action. My preference is a short-term [continuing resolution] so we can complete our work, and I still think that’s the most adult way forward,” said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).
The House bill, however, appears to have strong momentum after Trump strongly endorsed it Saturday.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), an outspoken fiscal conservative who typically votes against funding bills, on Sunday highlighted what he saw as the advantages of passing the pending six-month funding proposal.
“Why 6 month spending freeze ‘CR?’ 1) Keep lights on for @elongmusk & DOGE, 2) Dems WANT shutdown to stop Elon, 3) No earmarks … No big omnibus 4) 72 hrs to read, 50 Set up White House to impound & identify waste 6) set up cuts in fy26, &7, Freeze/stop spending increase,” he posted on the social platform X.
He is expected to vote for the bill.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a staunch fiscal conservative from Kentucky, is the only House Republican to state definitively that he will vote against the six-month continuing resolution.
Johnson cannot afford another Republican defection, assuming all Democrats vote against the bill, because the House is divided 218-214.
Warren said House Democrats are expected to vote in unison against the proposal, but it could be a tough vote for the 13 Democrats representing districts that Trump won in the 2024 election.
“My understanding is that the House Democrats have made clear they do not support this,” she said. “Republicans do not yet appear to have a bill that they can pass.”
At least one Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar (Texas), hasn’t closed the door on voting for the GOP-drafted stopgap.
“I do not support government shutdowns,” he said in an email to The Hill. “As an appropriator, it has always been my top priority to ensure American taxpayer dollars are used efficiently and effectively. I am also focused on ensuring our vital services are protected.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, urged House Republicans to coalesce behind the measure and admonished rebellious conservatives to stay in line.
“The House and Senate have put together, under the circumstances, a very good funding Bill (“CR”)! All Republicans should vote (Please!) YES next week,” Trump posted on social media.
“We have to remain UNITED — NO DISSENT — Fight for another day when the timing is right. VERY IMPORTANT,” he warned.
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