Senate Democrats face tough choices as government shutdown looms

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Mar 12, 2025

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Senate Democrats on Wednesday faced tough choices after the Republican-led House narrowly passed a stopgap spending bill that would avert a partial government shutdown as soon as this weekend.

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his Democratic allies must decide whether to go along with the bill, which Republicans crafted without input from them, or oppose it and effectively allow the government to shut down indefinitely.

The bill needs 60 votes to pass the Senate, meaning several Democrats must vote with Republicans to send it to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature by Friday to avert a shutdown.

Most Democrats oppose the GOP bill especially after their House colleagues voted nearly in lockstep to defeat it.

But some moderates are willing to swallow a problematic bill to avoid a shutdown, which they say would be even worse for the country and could open the door for wider cuts in the federal workforce.

They also fear Democrats will take the political blame if the government grinds to a halt for several weeks, muddying the waters after voters have mostly pointed fingers at Trump and Republicans for the steep cuts implemented by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency.

Schumer has been tight-lipped about the position his caucus will take after Senate Democrats spent a couple of hours sparring over strategy on Tuesday before the House voted to pass the measure.

The 99-page bill slightly decreases spending overall from last year’s funding levels, but redistributes the cash by increasing spending for the military by about $6 billion while reducing domestic spending by $13 billion.

The legislation leaves out emergency funding for disasters, but provides a boost in funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation operations.

All House Republicans except for Kentucky’s Rep. Thomas Massie supported the bill, including several fiscal budget hawks who usually oppose stopgap spending bills on principle.

Moderate Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, was the only Democrat to back the House bill.