22-07-2025
Senate Democrats face crossroads in anti-Trump strategy
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will consult with his caucus Tuesday before deciding whether Democrats will go scorched earth against their Republican colleagues during this year's appropriations process.
Why it matters: Top Democrats have hinted the party may not play ball with the GOP on the funding proceedings, risking a government shutdown at the end of September.
It would be a defiant act of revenge for a minority party that's seething with anger over everything from reconciliation to rescissions.
But Democrats have been reluctant to play the shutdown card in the past — and many are on record saying it's irresponsible.
Zoom out: This week will present an early test case for this fall's appropriations showdown.
GOP leaders plan to bring the MilCon-VA funding bill to the floor for a vote. They'll need Democratic support to move forward and at least seven Democratic votes to break a filibuster.
The bill passed committee 26-3, and Schumer said Monday it has "significant reversals to DOGE's horrible cuts." The Senate version of the bill is a higher spending level than the House version, a plus for Democrats.
It's possible Democrats support a procedural vote for the measure, under the pretense they aren't guaranteed to support its passage or further appropriations bills.
Zoom in: Schumer didn't tip his hand during a speech on the Senate floor Monday. Instead, he unloaded on Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Republicans as being "obedient" to President Trump.
"If Leader Thune wants to talk about bipartisanship, he should focus on keeping his side of the street clean first," Schumer said.
Schumer last week warned Thune against pursuing additional rescission packages, saying the GOP would be risking a government shutdown.
What we're hearing: Clear hints from the White House — and outright promises from House leadership — that they are planning more rescissions are further inflaming Senate Democrats.
Trump's Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought raised the temperature last week when he suggested the government funding process should be "less bipartisan."
Democrats were outraged by those comments and the attitude behind them — and they put their GOP colleagues on notice.
"My Republican colleagues should understand that Russ Vought does not respect their constitutional power over federal spending," Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said last week.
The bottom line: Democrats are angry with how Trump and Thune have rolled them all year.
