Sen. Chuck Schumer Monday warned that Republicans are driving the nation towards a authorities shutdown and vowed Democrats will unite to push again in opposition to President Trump’s slash-and-burn spending cuts.
The Senate minority chief instructed fellow lawmakers he plans to make use of their leverage to gradual or cease Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk from gutting essential authorities packages.
“Senate Democrats will use our votes to help steady the ship for the American people in these turbulent times,” Schumer wrote in a Expensive Colleague letter. “It is incumbent on responsible Republicans to get serious and work in a bipartisan fashion to avoid a Trump shutdown.”
Elon Musk. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP through Getty Pictures)
Schumer accused Trump and his GOP allies of selecting to attempt to ram by means of their agenda as a result of they’re “unwilling to do the hard work of bipartisan governance.”
“Trump has handed the keys of the presidency to his cronies, sycophants, and radicals who are hell-bent … to hollow out the government and cut off critical services to American communities across the country,” he mentioned.
By stressing that Democrats oppose a shutdown, Schumer gave the impression to be pushing again in opposition to solutions from some Democratic lawmakers that they could block a stopgap spending plan to protest Musk’s dramatic actions to kill total businesses like USAID and threatening to fireside authorities employees.
Sen. Andy Kim (D-New Jersey) mentioned Sunday that he “cannot support efforts that will continue this lawlessness” when requested a few potential spending cope with the GOP.
Schumer laid out a multi-pronged strategy to preventing again in opposition to Trump, together with lawsuits, congressional investigations and the legislative course of.
“A mere three weeks into the new Trump Administration and it is clear Trump’s promise of a ‘golden age’ for America seems to merely be glitter,” Schumer mentioned.
He and Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries have vital leverage as a result of Congress must cross a spending invoice by March 15 or a lot of the federal government will shut down.
Although Republicans management each homes of Congress and the White Home, it gained’t essentially be simple for them to legislate. That’s as a result of the GOP solely has a three-vote edge within the Home and 60 votes are wanted to cross most legal guidelines within the Senate.
It’s unclear how Republicans plan to proceed, however they hope to cross massive chunks of Trump’s agenda utilizing the legislative sleight of hand often known as reconciliation, which can be utilized to cross some legal guidelines with solely a easy majority within the Senate.
However Republicans, particularly within the Home, are divided into factions, with some hoping to implement huge tax cuts for the rich whereas others hope to drastically reduce authorities spending.
