Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, are poised to force a partial government shutdown by refusing to back a Republican stopgap spending bill, escalating a partisan showdown just days before federal funding expires at midnight Friday.
Schumer declared Wednesday on the Senate floor that his party will withhold the eight votes needed to break the chamber’s 60-vote filibuster threshold, imperiling the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) meant to keep the government humming through September.
The move threatens chaos as only one Democrat, Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman, has pledged to support the CR, citing the fallout of a shutdown, saying, “The weeks of performative “resistance” from those in my party were limited to undignified antics. Voting to shut the government down will punish millions or risk a recession. I disagree with many points in the CR, but I will never vote to shut our government down.”
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On the GOP side, Kentucky’s Rand Paul is a firm “no,” slamming the bill for clinging to Biden-era spending levels and ignoring cuts proposed by the Trump-backed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
With Republicans holding a 53-47 Senate edge, the math hinges on Democratic defections—none of which Schumer signaled were coming.
House Speaker Mike Johnson muscled the Trump-endorsed CR through his chamber Tuesday, 217-213, with just one GOP dissenter, Kentucky’s Thomas Massie, and one Democrat, Maine’s Jared Golden, crossing lines.
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Golden later rebuked his party’s “misinformation” about the bill, but Senate Democrats doubled down, with Murphy alleging it “robs the needy” and Wyden warning of slashed veteran and child aid.
Republicans pounced, framing Democrats as hypocrites for wielding a filibuster they once sought to axe. “Will it be a Schumer Shutdown?” Oklahoma’s Markwayne Mullin taunted on X.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune piled on, telling reporters on Tuesday, “It’s on them if this happens.” The CR, boosting defense and border funds while trimming non-defense spending, sailed through the House with Freedom Caucus backing—a rarity for a stopgap—but now teeters on Senate Democrats’ brinkmanship.
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With no clear path to 60 votes, Friday’s deadline looms large, testing whether Democrats’ gamble sinks the government—or their own credibility.
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