Democrats, after playing "hard ball" with threatening a government shutdown, end up folding like lawn chairshttps://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-trump-gop-chuck-schumer-86385e644239a3dc1558b37d13094234Senate approves funding bill hours before shutdown deadline, sending to Trump for signatureWASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed a Republican-led spending bill Friday hours before a government shutdown, overcoming sharp Democratic opposition to the measure and sending it to President Donald Trump to be signed into law.The essentially party-line vote, 54-46, didn’t give the full picture of gnawing Democratic angst over how to confront the Trump administration as its Department of Government Efficiency fires federal workers and dismantles operations. Democrats argued over whether to fight even risking a shutdown and fumed that Republicans drafted a measure that included little of their input, shortchanging health care, housing and other priorities.But in the end, enough of the Democratic senators decided a government shutdown would be even worse, and backed Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer’s strategy to allow the bill to come forward.“A shutdown will allow DOGE to shift into overdrive,” Schumer said. “Donald Trump and Elon Musk would be free to destroy vital government services at a much faster rate.”Democrats were confronted with two painful options: allowing passage of a bill they believe gives President Donald Trump vast discretion on spending decisions or voting no and letting funding lapse. All told, 10 Democrats voted to break the party’s filibuster to advance the bill to a final vote. On final passage, two Democrats supported the bill, and one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, opposed it. It funds the government for another six months.Schumer gave members of his caucus days to vent their frustration about the options before them, but abruptly switched course,
and made clear on the eve of voting that he would not allow a government shutdown. His move outraged many in the party who want to fight the Trump agenda, but gave senators room to side with Republicans and allow the continuing resolution, often described as a CR, to advance.Democrats from all corners looked to pressure senators to kill the bill. House members wrote letters, posted on social media and held press conferences in the hours before the vote.“The American people sent Democrats to Congress to fight against Republican dysfunction and chaos,” said a letter from 66 House Democrats to Schumer.House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and his team dashed back to the Capitol urging senators to block the bill and negotiate a true compromise with Republicans. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi called the bill “unacceptable.”Some Democrats also argued that Republicans would take the blame for a shutdown, given they controlled all the levers of power in Congress and the White House.“If you refuse to put forward an offer that includes any Democratic input and you don’t get Democratic votes, that’s on Republicans,” said Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.In contrast, Schumer picked up one unexpected nod of support — from Trump himself, who just a day earlier was gearing up to blame Democrats for any shutdown.“Congratulations to Chuck Schumer for doing the right thing — Took ‘guts’ and courage!” the president posted on his social media account.Congress has been unable to pass the annual appropriations bills designed to fund the government, so they’ve resorted to passing short-term extensions instead. The legislation before the Senate is the third such continuing resolution for the current fiscal year, now nearly half over.
The legislation would fund the federal government through the end of September. It would trim non-defense spending by about $13 billion from the previous year and increase defense spending by about $6 billion, which are marginal changes when talking about a topline spending level of nearly $1.7 trillion.The Republican-led House passed the spending bill Tuesday and then adjourned. The move left senators with a decision to either take it or leave it. And while Democrats pushed for a vote on a fourth short-term extension, GOP leadership made clear that option was a non-starter.Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and others made the case that any blame for a shutdown would fall squarely on Democrats. And House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Republicans stood together to get the job done.Meanwhile, some House Democrats lashed out at their colleagues across the Capitol after the vote.“The constituents I represent need Democrats to stand up to this rogue administration,” said Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev. “What they got from Senate Democrats today was capitulation instead.”But Schumer said Trump would seize more power during a shutdown, because it would give the administration the ability to deem whole agencies, programs and personnel non-essential, furloughing staff with no promise they would ever be rehired.Democrats were critical of the funding levels in the bill. But they are more worried about the discretion the bill gives the Trump administration on spending decisions. Many Democrats are referring to the measure as a “blank check” for Trump.
>>1392150Spending bills typically come with specific funding directives for key programs, but hundreds of those directives fall away under the continuing resolution passed by the House. So the administration will have more leeway to decide where the money goes.For example, a Democratic memo said the bill would allow the administration to steer money away from combating fentanyl and instead use it on mass deportation initiatives.Several amendments to the bill failed, but one to eliminate funding for DOGE drew support from a Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.The spending bill before the Senate is separate from the GOP effort to extend tax cuts for individuals passed in Trump’s first term and to partially pay for them with spending cuts elsewhere in government.That second package will be developed in the months ahead, but it was clearly part of the political calculus.“You’re looking at a one-two punch, a very bad CR, then a reconciliation bill coming down, which will be the final kick in the teeth for the American people,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said the Democratic arguments for voting against the bill were hypocritical because they were essentially calling for shutting down the government to protect the government.“Democrats are fighting to withhold the paychecks of air traffic controllers, our troops, federal custodial staff,” Cotton said. “They can’t be serious.”Senators also unanimously approved a separate bill to fix an unexpected provision in the package that would require the District of Columbia to revert to 2024 budget levels, a cut of some $1.1 billion, even though the district raises most of its own money. That bill, which now goes to House, would allow spending at 2025 levels.
>>1392147Thanks for posting the entire article, OP. Also, thanks for not greentexting it, like some dumbasses do.
>>1392179The image is rather amusing as well
>>1392147Fucking cowards.
>>1392201Quisling Chucky's days are numbered.
>>1392147I got nothing. This is a real embarrassment for Democrats. Schumer raved about how republicans were a "threat to democracy!" But the single moment where he could wield even the tiniest amount of power, they fold like picrel. Also John Fetterman, during his campaign he acted like a giant badass, then he had a stroke, and now he's a giant baby, and needs caretakers to speak for him and wipe his ass.
>>1392224Chuck did this to protect the stock market from dropping further, it’s one of the few things both parties agree on.
Lawnchair list:Senate Minority Leader Chuck SchumerSenator John Fetterman of PennsylvaniaSenator Catherine Cortez Masto of NevadaSenator Brian Schatz of HawaiiSenator Dick Durbin of IllinoisSenator Kirsten Gillibrand of New YorkSenator Gary Peters of MichiganSenator Maggie Hassan of New HampshireSenator Jeanne Shaheen of New HampshireSenator Angus King of Maine
>>1392242>le epin lawnchair memeI miss the days when boomers didn't know what 4chan was
>Trump announces plans to arrest, torture, execute Chuck Schumer.>Chucky: "Now is not the time to give into partisan anger; not executing me is exactly what Trump would want."
>>1392147Why does the GOP continuously outsmart and humiliate the dems? why are republicans just so much higher IQ?
>>1392285https://www.foxnews.com/politics/social-media-explodes-after-cringe-tiktok-video-aoc-house-dems-goes-viralbecause leftists are so out of touch and incompetent they think its appealing to the kids to have 4 dei hire democrats pretend to be fighting characters.
>>1392286Bro that is cringe af. Real deal tho, about them being out of touch. Have you seen the video of a bunch of dem reps protesting Elon musk? It's literally a video of a bunch of geriatric old men shaking their canes and fists and yelling at clouds
>>1392288not that one but i saw the one where they wanted to raid DOGE to stop Elon holding them accountable and you see a democrat desperate to cover up their track and commanding their army of cultists to attack a government building and being stopped by a glassdoor
>>1392147Wow, chuck Schumer looks like crap in that picture
>>1392285You realize you're asking why it is that Republicans are smarter than people with all the brain power of mayonnaise. Not exactly a high hurdle to leap over.
