On Wednesday, Sen. Chuck Schumer was practically gloating when he announced that it looks like the House continuing resolution (CR) doesn’t have the votes to get past a filibuster.
“Funding the government should be a bipartisan effort but Republicans chose a partisan path, drafting their continuing resolution without any input — any input — from congressional Democrats,” Schumer said in remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday. “Because of that, Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on the House CR.”
The Democrats’ tough talk about standing firm against the Republican-backed continuing resolution (CR) funding bill is already showing cracks. After days of chest-thumping and virtue signaling, it’s looking like all that bravado about the CR was just a front.
According to a report from Politico, despite Schumer’s claims that his party is unified against the CR, they really don’t want to see a shutdown happen.
Publicly, the Senate minority leader and many of his fellow Democrats are vowing they won’t provide the votes to allow a House GOP funding bill to pass, while demanding a vote on a Plan B. Privately, though, Senate Democrats appear to be moving toward that potential offramp: Securing a vote on their preferred 30-day stopgap bill in exchange for helping the House bill, which funds government through September, clear the 60-vote filibuster hurdle — even if they ultimately oppose it on final passage.
It sounds like Democrats are scared witless about a government shutdown.
But behind the scenes, after days of listening to the disparate voices in his ranks, Schumer appears to be ready to help steer his caucus away from unilateral shutdown brinkmanship. Instead, he’s making a demand that will let his members take a unified vote and, they hope, peel off a few Republicans unhappy with a seven-month stopgap. It’s all a sign that even as Democrats are enjoying their first instance of potential legislative leverage in the Trump era, they might not all be willing to live with the political consequences of playing hardball.
In what Politico hilariously describes as “boisterous” caucus meetings (translation: circular firing squad), Democrats are realizing they’ve painted themselves into a corner. They control neither chamber of Congress nor the presidency, yet somehow thought they could dictate terms. That’s like bringing a strongly worded letter to a gunfight.
The most entertaining part? Schumer’s spectacular retreat. After playing tough guy for the cameras, he’s now quietly signaling willingness to help advance the House GOP funding bill—as long as Democrats get a participation trophy in the form of a vote on their preferred 30-day stopgap measure. Talk about a face-saving exercise!
What we’re watching is the Democratic leadership doing what they do best— folding like a cheap lawn chair while trying to spin it as a victory. Schumer’s “listening approach” to caucus concerns is political speak for “we have no idea what we’re doing, but we need to make it look intentional.”
The truth is, Democrats are trapped between their radical base demanding resistance at all costs and the reality that they don’t have the political leverage to make demands. It’s almost enough to make you feel sorry for them. Almost.
Okay, not really.
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