House Democrats turn against Schumer as the US Senate advances a measure to prevent a shutdown

A partial government shutdown was avoided on Friday when the U.S. Senate passed a stopgap budget bill after Democrats gave in to pressure over President Donald Trump’s plan to reduce the federal workforce.

On Thursday night, leading Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer broke the impasse after days of intense discussion by declaring that he would vote to approve the package. Schumer expressed disapproval of the plan but said he thought that since Trump and his advisor Elon Musk were cutting expenditure quickly, it would be worse to cause a shutdown.

The Senate defeated four amendments and passed the bill 54-46, sending it to Trump to sign into law.

The House of Representatives, which is controlled by Republicans, passed the bill earlier this week. It essentially keeps spending at roughly $6.75 trillion for the fiscal year ending September 30.

Democrats were incensed about the plan, which will reduce expenditure by roughly $7 billion, and claimed it would not stop Trump’s campaign from cutting tens of thousands of jobs and stopping congressionally required spending.

Trump’s trade battle with some of the United States’ closest friends has caused a significant stock sell-off and increased concerns of a recession.

DEMOCRATS ACTIVELY ENGAGE SCHUMER

Schumer’s move rocked the Democratic Party and exposed its members’ disagreements over how to oppose Trump while still being a minority.

Democratic Representative Ro Khanna wrote on social media, “Recovering the party and nation with grassroots activists in blue and red districts to stand up for the Constitution and our democracy is the only option when the Senate Minority Leader sells you out.”

Senate Democrats avoided criticizing Schumer, instead directing their scathing remarks against Musk and Trump.

During a news conference on Friday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries failed to respond to reporters’ inquiries on whether he supported Schumer’s leadership, revealing startling weaknesses in the party leaders’ approach.

House Democrats, who were gathered at a retreat in a suburb of Washington, D.C., were especially spooked by Schumer’s move. Jeffries hurried back to Washington to deliver an emergency press conference on the proposal.

Schumer’s action caught him off guard, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar told reporters. On Friday, a letter to Schumer urging him to reject the legislation was signed by more than 60 members.

On Friday, lawmakers, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, publicly criticized Schumer without mentioning him by name. On Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X that an affirmative vote was “unthinkable.”

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar said in a statement following Schumer’s and nine other Democratic senators’ voting to move the bill forward, “Today the biggest split among Democrats is between those who want to stand and fight and those who want to play dead.”

Schumer told Reuters that neither the criticism nor Jeffries’ denial that he had faith in him had affected him.

“Our friendship dates back a long way. “Disputes on issues will always arise,” Schumer stated in a quick interview. “When I started working here. Although I was aware that some people would disagree, I thought it would have been disastrous to shut down the government.

It would have taken the backing of at least 41 of Schumer’s Democrats, who have long criticized government shutdowns for wreaking unnecessary havoc on American families, to block the plan.

The Senate’s majority is 53-47 Republican.

According to the partisan measure, funding will be cut by almost $7 billion from the previous year. About $6 billion more would go to the U.S. military, while $13 billion will be cut from non-defense programs.

NEXT UP: TAXES AND DEBT

The plan to extend and expand Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which were his biggest legislative accomplishment during his first term, will now be the focus of congressional Republicans. Democrats are concerned that it could jeopardize the Medicaid healthcare program for low-income Americans. The plan would also increase funding for border security and reduce spending in other areas.

In addition, Republicans must increase their self-imposed debt ceiling by the end of this spring or summer, failing which they risk a disastrous default on the federal government’s almost $36.6 trillion debt.

According to independent fiscal analysts, the bill, which Republicans intend to enact in order to get over Democratic resistance, could increase the national debt by $5 trillion to $11 trillion.