Democrats Are Outraged at Chuck Schumer’s Fecklessness
Schumer says he'll back a budget bill that would empower Trump and Musk to keep ignoring Congress but would stave off a government shutdown. Nancy Pelosi called Schumer's arguments a "false choice."
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Congressional Democrats faced perhaps their biggest challenge yet this week when presented with a funding bill that would stave off a government shutdown—but effectively give Donald Trump and Elon Musk free reign to hack the federal government to bits. The GOP’s continuing resolution (CR) lacks language to stop the Trump administration from cutting congressionally approved spending; Trump has made clear he sees the CR as a mandate to direct or withhold any federal funding as he sees fit.
And there’s one particular person he’s thanking for the CR’s now inevitable advancement on Friday: “Congratulations to Chuck Schumer for doing the right thing,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Schumer on Thursday said he would vote yes on, as he put it, the “very bad” CR because a shutdown would be “much worse.” Yet, importantly, polling has shown most voters would blame Trump and Republicans—aka, the party in power—for a shutdown, not Democrats. And I would actually argue that Trump and Musk wiping out the federal government is infinitely worse than a shutdown to slow or obstruct this administration’s agenda. Schumer’s support for the CR sends a message of defeat and disunity from Congressional Democrats, many of whom are now openly outraged at the Senate Minority Leader.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) called the move “a huge slap in the face,” explaining to reporters on Thursday, “There are members of Congress who have won Trump-held districts in some of the most difficult territory in the United States who walked the plank and took innumerable risks in order to defend the American people, in order to defend Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare.” The calls for Ocasio-Cortez—a New York Democrat like Schumer—to primary the 74-year-old have been growing for years, and are currently reaching a fever pitch.