President Trump lauded Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer “for doing the right thing” after the top Democrat in the Senate pivoted to support the GOP’s government funding plan.
Mr. Schumer, New York Democrat, announced on Thursday that he would back the House-passed stopgap bill through a procedural vote in the Senate after failing to convince Republicans to support a shorter, cleaner version of the measure.
The GOP’s yearlong government funding extension would keep the lights on in Washington until Sept. 30 and includes spending cuts and increases designed to bolster the White House’s immediate needs in the short-term.
Mr. Trump on Friday, hours ahead of the deadline to fund the government or face a partial shutdown, said that Mr. Schumer’s decision to cave to Republicans’ demands “took ‘guts’ and courage.”
‘The big Tax Cuts, L.A. fire fix, Debt Ceiling Bill, and so much more, is coming,” the president said on social media. “We should all work together on that very dangerous situation. A non pass would be a Country destroyer, approval will lead us to new heights. Again, really good and smart move by Senator Schumer. This could lead to something big for the USA, a whole new direction and beginning!”
Mr. Schumer argued that neither choice, either supporting the GOP’s stopgap bill or pushing the government into a shutdown, was good, but that ultimately he feared a government shutdown would give Mr. Trump and his efficiency bloodhound Elon Musk “carte blanche to destroy vital government services at a significantly faster rate than they can right now.”
Congressional Democrats have largely panned the bill with the same argument. Democratic senators believe that while a shutdown is bad, voting against the measure is their only way to stand up to Mr. Trump, Mr. Musk and their cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency.
Though Republicans have a majority in the Senate, they need at least eight Democrats to support the bill and clear a filibuster. So far, Mr. Schumer and Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania are the only two Democratic lawmakers that publicly support the bill.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, South Dakota Republican, pressed Senate Democrats on Friday to change course.
“I’m hopeful that enough Democrats will reject their party’s threat of shutting down the government to get this bill passed today,” Mr. Thune said.
But Mr. Schumer’s choice has not sat well with some congressional Democrats.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat, declared Mr. Schumer’s decision a “betrayal” during House Democrats’ policy retreat in Virginia, and that she and her Democratic colleagues were “texting, calling, sending carrier pigeons,” to stir up the Democratic base against the top Senate Democrats’ acquiescence to Republicans.
SEE ALSO: Chuck Schumer caves on shutdown fight, says that would be ‘far worse’ than GOP plan
Only one House Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, broke with the ranks and supported the GOP’s stopgap bill. Mr. Schumer’s decision may give more Senate Democrats political cover to follow suit.
“There are members of Congress who have won Trump-held districts in some of the most difficult territory in the United States who walked the plank and took innumerable risks in order to defend the American people, in order to defend Social Security and Medicaid and Medicare,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said. “Just to see Senate Democrats even consider acquiescing to Elon Musk, I think is a huge slap in the face. And I think there is a wide sense of betrayal if things proceed as currently planned.”
• Lindsey McPherson contributed to this report.
