Democrats To Reject House Funding Bill Amid Looming Shutdown Threat

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Wednesday that Senate Democrats would reject the government funding bill passed by Republicans, casting doubt on whether Congress can prevent a shutdown before Friday's deadline.

The House of Representatives narrowly passed a continuing resolution (CR) on Tuesday to keep the government funded through the end of September.

However, following a meeting with fellow Democrats on Wednesday to discuss their next steps, Schumer voiced hope that Republicans would collaborate with them to avert a shutdown, NBC reported.

"Our caucus is unified on a clean April 11 CR that will keep the government open and give Congress time to negotiate bipartisan legislation that can pass," Schumer said. "I hope our Republican colleagues will join us to avoid a shutdown on Friday."

Democrats Split On House Bill

Democrats are divided on whether to support the six-month funding measure, with some concerned that a shutdown would have worse consequences, despite their overall disapproval of the House bill.

In a bid to buy more time for a broader funding plan, Schumer proposed a one-month extension of current spending levels, though this proposal is seen as unlikely to gain traction, Reuters reported.

A shutdown is set to occur at midnight Friday unless President Donald Trump signs a new funding bill. He has endorsed the House-passed legislation. Republicans, who hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, would need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.

Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin commented, "If they decide to shut down the government, it's 100% a Schumer shutdown at that point."

Democrats Fear Shutdown Chaos Amid Opposition

Schumer stressed that his party's 47 Senate members are "unified" in opposing the House bill, which passed with only one Democratic vote in favor.

Despite this opposition, some Democrats fear that blocking the bill could result in a shutdown, which they argue would cause unnecessary chaos. Additionally, they are concerned about President Trump's actions to shutter federal operations, which have already caused disruption.

The House bill includes cuts to non-defense programs, increases in military spending, and provisions granting Trump greater authority over spending decisions. Democrats are focusing on highlighting these cuts, particularly those that could alienate their voter base.

Senator from Pennsylvania John Fetterman, who did not attend the Democrats' meeting, said the party may have little choice but to accept the current proposal. While he criticized certain aspects of the bill, such as a nearly $1 billion cut to Washington, D.C.'s budget, Fetterman indicated he might ultimately support the House bill to avoid a shutdown.

As the shutdown deadline nears, concerns have grown around global rating agencies' recent moves to downgrade the U.S. federal government's credit rating, mainly due to nation's $36 trillion debt.