Senate Democrats are staring at a major dilemma as they struggle with how to handle GOP halt spending bills in the face of potential government shutdowns by the weekend.
Democrats are fully aware of how to wrap their arms as they try to consider a few issues at the meeting towards Friday's deadline.
They held their second longest party luncheon for days Wednesday, seeking consensus on the best way out of Moras. They emerged with plans to insist on voting for a 30-day continuous resolution (CR) before considering voting for the Republican six-month plan.
However, 30-day CR is almost certainly not feasible. And Senate Democrats said Wednesday they wouldn't vote to move the Republican bill forward, but that pressure on them would only increase.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) sent the house home mainly after passing the GOP six-month CR along the party line on Tuesday. The House is scheduled to return until March 24th, leaving Senate Democrats with little choice other than eating GOP suspensions and shutting down the government.
Neither of them tastes good.
“Both are horrifying results,” Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) said before lunch Wednesday. “I fell asleep last night. I woke up late and really thought about it. I had one decision in mind. I woke up and said, “No, I don't. That's not right.” [decision]. '”
“It's just difficult,” he continued. “This is the most frustrating issue I've seen since I've been here.”
Democrats are fighting against competing concerns in several ways.
On the legislative side, the party believes the Republican-led CR will be funding the government through the end of September at levels set under the Biden administration, giving President Trump and Elon Musk only further control over the government's workforce that they have tried to cut since they took office.
And while Republicans are throwing the bill as a “clean” CR, Democrats say the $13 billion cut in de-evacuation spending that Democrats warn will affect federal housing, nutrition and healthcare programs and more.
But Democrats are also keenly aware of optics that force government shutdowns, which will result in over 2 million government workers being attacked unpaid.
They would also likely receive at least some of the responsibility for the closure, potentially putting Senate Democrats, especially those in swing states – in political danger.
“There's no easy call,” Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced later Wednesday that he would oppose the House bill.
What also surprises members is unknown what will happen after the shutdown begins. Trump is well known for being unpredictable, and how he handles the closure is giving Democrats heartburn.
Upon shutdown, the management and the Budget Office are responsible for determining which personnel are deemed mandatory and non-critical during the course. Senate Republicans were also able to exaggerate their votes to resume government after the vote, giving them more headaches in the process.
“The devil we know about the devil we don't know,” Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) said.
Meanwhile, House Democrats have taken the extraordinary steps to put strong pressure on Senate colleagues to oppose the GOP plan. Only one Democrat voted for House measures after Democrats actively urged members to vote “No.”
House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) said House Democrats were in talks with Senate Democrats ahead of the Senate vote on Wednesday.
“The ongoing conversations from leadership with Senate Democrats through the members of the Senate, where we regularly work with,” Jeffries said. “The House's democratic position is clear as evidenced by the strong opposition vote we made yesterday on the floor of the House of Representatives against Trump Musk Johnson's reckless Republican spending bill.”
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) broke nearly 24 hours of silence in spending situations after a lengthy meeting on Wednesday, saying his members were “unified” behind the one-month measure and were contrary to current GOP plans.
Top approvers on both sides of the aisle were also discussing the idea for the bill last week, but Republicans abandoned the idea that year-round options would get steam.
“Republicans chose a partisan path and drafted their continued resolutions without any opinions from Congressional Democrats, so Republicans don't have the vote to evoke the coagulation of House CR in the Senate,” Schumer said.
“Our caucus is unified with a clean April 11 CR that gives Congress time to negotiate bipartisan laws that can keep the government open and pass. We should vote for it,” he continued. “We hope that our Republican colleagues will join us to avoid Friday's closure.”
Despite the comments, the Chamber of Commerce could potentially unlock the deal by the end of the week.
Some Democrats have raised the idea that a failed 30-day amendment vote to a CR could win in exchange for the vote needed to advance the GOP bill. According to Sen. Tim Kane (D-Va.), some Republicans were able to support it, but it wasn't just adopted.
It remains unclear whether Republicans will follow suit. Senate majority leader John Tune (Rs.D.) hadn't shot down the idea completely.
“I think you need to have some understanding,” he told Hill on Wednesday evening. “I know. I don't know exactly what their demand is, if they just vote for it and give the government a vote to fund it in exchange.”
Thune added that the debate is “now moving forward” on the road ahead, but also panned the idea of a full shift to 30-day CR to complete the 2025 spending bill.
“The house is gone,” he said. “I don't know how it will affect you right now.”
Eight Democrats are needed to support a year of CR. Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is the sole member of the conference and is to show support for it.
Republicans have made it clear that this pain will be involved for minorities if others do not follow.
“If Democrats choose to shut down the government, they will own IT locks, stocks and barrels,” said Senate majority Whip John Baraso (R-Wyo.).
