Democrats Oppose GOP Funding Bill, Raising Government Shutdown Concerns

Chuck Schumer 

WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Wednesday that Senate Democrats would oppose the House-approved government funding bill, increasing the likelihood of a government shutdown by Friday’s deadline.

The House narrowly passed a continuing resolution to fund the government through September. However, Schumer criticized Republicans for drafting the bill without Democratic input, stating, “Funding the government should be a bipartisan effort, but Republicans chose a partisan path. Because of that, they lack the votes in the Senate to invoke cloture.” He emphasized that Democrats support a clean, short-term funding extension through April 11 to allow time for bipartisan negotiations.

Democratic senators remain divided over whether to support the House bill to avoid a shutdown or reject it due to concerns over unilateral executive authority and budget cuts. Some, like Sen. Raphael Warnock, acknowledged the difficult choice between two unfavorable outcomes: “If it passes, it will hurt ordinary people. If the government shuts down, that will also hurt ordinary people.”

With Republicans holding 53 Senate seats but needing 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, Democratic support is crucial. While some, like Sen. John Fetterman, favor the stopgap measure to prevent a shutdown, others oppose it due to increased military spending and cuts to domestic programs. Additionally, concerns have been raised over provisions granting expanded authority to President Donald Trump and Elon Musk to implement government reductions without congressional oversight.

House Democrats are urging their Senate counterparts to reject the bill. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reinforced the party’s opposition, referencing the strong Democratic vote against what he called the “Trump-Musk-Johnson reckless Republican spending bill.”

Despite Democratic resistance, Republicans remain committed to a longer-term resolution through September, aligning with White House priorities to shift focus to broader legislative goals, including border security and tax policy. The outcome hinges on whether a bipartisan agreement can be reached before the impending shutdown.