The House passed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through September. It was a close call, with a vote of 217-213. Now the funding bill moves on to the Senate, where some Democrats are threatening to withhold their support until Republicans agree to rein in Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency.
Other Democrats aren’t so sure. They are arguing that any political blowback due to a government shutdown would fall on them. They have until Friday before the government begins to turn off the lights.
The Republicans need eight Democratic senators to vote for the CR to pass it because of the 60-vote filibuster rule. After their caucus meeting on Tuesday, some Democrats want to fold their cards while others haven’t made up their minds.
“The conversation today was divided. I can’t say we have a strategy,” said a Democratic senator who requested anonymity to comment on the internal deliberations. “There are a lot of people who haven’t made a decision.”
On the other hand, there appear to be a number of Democrats who fear what Musk would do with a shutdown.
“The CR is a terrible bill… but a shutdown has terrible consequences,” the source added. “Elon Musk is trying to shut down the government. If we shut down the government, it takes the blame away from him, and it puts the blame on us for chaos and confusion.”
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) made it clear he would vote for the CR regardless.
“I’ve been very clear: I’m not going [to] vote or withhold my vote that’s going to shut down the government,” Fetterman told The Hill.
“For me, if the Democrats think that they want to burn the village down to save it, that’s terrible optics and that’s going to have serious impacts for millions and millions of people,” he warned. “I’m never going to vote for that kind of chaos.”
Sen. Angus King (Maine), an independent who caucuses with Democrats, warned that tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is leading President Trump’s effort to downsize government, could use a government shutdown to pressure more federal workers to retire.
“We’re dealing with people — many of whom I suspect think a shutdown would be a good thing, and they could prolong it and use it to expand the president’s power even beyond what they’re already considering. So that’s something that has to be considered. This isn’t normal,” King warned.
King didn’t say how he would vote on the six-month House-passed stopgap but signaled he’s worried about the potential outcome if Senate Democrats defeat it.
Democrats are still dawdling about what to do and may wait until Thursday to decide. The Republicans have not yet scheduled a vote.
“We haven’t made a final decision. We’re still talking about it,” Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said.
It’s hard to know what the leadership thinks about the CR and what should be done. Durbin and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have yet to announce their position on the CR.
It may come down to how many Democrats are willing to hold their noses and vote for it.
“Make no mistake: The entire bill the House is voting on today is House Republicans’ own doing — and it is a dumpster fire. So, I am here to sound the alarm about that fire before it spreads,” Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said on the Senate floor.
But she didn’t say she wouldn’t vote for it.
Virginia’s Tim Kaine also refused to rule out voting for the bill, despite his objections.
“It’s a bad bill. I can’t imagine why Republicans would be signing up for a bill that slashes VA construction and food safety. We’ve got an avian flu epidemic,” he said. “The bill is horrible.”
It may be “horrible,” but it’s all the Democrats have.
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