Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is signaling a sharp shift in strategy, now willing to risk a government shutdown at the end of September if Republicans do not agree to key Democratic demands.
This marks a departure from Schumer’s position earlier this year, when he voted with Republicans to avoid a shutdown — a move that drew criticism from within his party.
“Things have changed” since March, Schumer told the Associated Press. At the time, Democrats were divided, but now he says they are unified.
He and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries are aligned in insisting that any spending legislation must include health care provisions and prevent rollbacks.
A shutdown, Schumer argues, wouldn’t worsen the political environment significantly. “It will get worse with or without it, because Trump is lawless,” he said.
Republicans are floating a short-term continuing resolution to avoid a Sept. 30 shutdown. Senate Majority Leader John Thune criticized the Democrats’ position, saying, “They don’t have a good reason to do it. And I don’t intend to give them a good reason to do it.”
Trump echoed that sentiment, stating, “If you gave them every dream, they would not vote for it,” and calling on Republicans to stay united: “We will get it through because the Republicans are sticking together.”
Democrats are pushing to extend government tax credits for Affordable Care Act coverage and roll back Medicaid cuts enacted in Trump’s recent tax and spending package.
Schumer is also demanding assurances that the White House won’t claw back previously negotiated funding — a reference to Trump’s decision to block $4.9 billion in foreign aid just as spending talks began.
“How do you pass an appropriations bill and let them undo it down the road?” Schumer asked.
Congress faces the shutdown deadline with many budget bills unresolved. A shutdown would halt nonessential federal activities and delay pay for millions, including the military. The 2018–2019 shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, lasted 35 days under Trump.
Schumer defended his March vote as the lesser of two bad options but insists the current situation is different. “I did what I thought was right,” he said. “It’s a different situation now than then.” He claims internal polling shows most Americans would blame Trump, not Democrats, for a shutdown.
