Senate Democrats Reject House Bill Passed by Republicans, Says Schumer
Congress has until March 14 to prevent a government shutdown.
WASHINGTON—Senate Democrats have announced they will not support the government funding bill that House Republicans passed, according to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
To advance their bill in the Senate, Republicans require votes from Democrats, who are advocating for a straightforward 30-day government spending bill. This clean continuing resolution (CR) would maintain current funding levels for an additional 30 days.
If Congress fails to approve a CR, the government is poised to shut down on March 14.
“Funding the government ought to be a cooperative effort, but Republicans opted for a partisan approach, drafting their CR without any input from congressional Democrats,” Schumer remarked.
“As a result, Republicans lack the necessary votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on the House CR. Our caucus is aligned on a clean April 11 CR that will keep the government operational and grant Congress time to negotiate bipartisan legislation that is viable. We should proceed with voting on that.”
Cloture necessitates 60 votes to overcome a filibuster in the Senate, which is standard for most legislation. The GOP maintains a slim majority in the Senate with 53 seats.
The legislation also features a clause that would bar congressional Democrats from introducing resolutions aimed at blocking President Donald Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, along with a 10 percent tariff on Canadian energy.
The House has recessed as of March 11 and won’t reconvene until March 24, while the Senate is set to go into recess next week.
During an annual strategy retreat for House Democrats in Leesburg, Virginia, the party displayed resistance to the spending bill, which is now in the Senate’s hands.
“We’re advocating for working families. Our message to the Senate is: Align with us on this matter,” stated Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) during the press conference that opened the retreat, which commenced just a day after the continuing resolution passed in the House.
“We believe our vote provides the Senate with the fortitude and message they need to stand up as well.”
In a press interaction on March 11, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) encouraged Senate Democrats to choose the 30-day continuing resolution instead of the longer-term spending fix approved by the House.
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, emphasized he was representing House Democrats rather than his Senate counterparts.
“We’re going to wait for the white smoke just like everyone else,” he remarked. “Elon Musk and Donald Trump are systematically shutting down the federal government. I have no idea why we would want any part of that.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) criticized the GOP bill, stating it “merely allows Donald Trump to continue shutting down more and more of government. That is a concern.”
Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with the Democrats, told reporters that a government shutdown could counterintuitively harm government workers amidst substantial cuts by the Trump administration.
“This is a classic no-win situation,” he highlighted.
On the other hand, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) expressed his willingness to vote for the funding bill.
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) remained non-committal when asked how he would vote should the Democratic amendment fail.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) asserted that Senate Democrats would be held accountable if they obstruct the bill.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) agreed, stating, “It would be unwise for my Democrat colleagues to shut down the government.”
