WASHINGTON ― In capitulating to Republicans on their partisan bill funding the government, Democrats may have put their party in an even worse position during the next round of negotiations on spending that is expected later this year.
With the GOP controlling both chambers of Congress and the White House, Democrats have precious little leverage to push back against President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s efforts to demolish federal agencies and shut off spending on government programs without congressional approval.
Their biggest tool is denying Republicans the 60 votes necessary to advance legislation in the Senate, or mounting a filibuster ― something they’ve long complained about in the past when they were in the majority. For a brief moment on Wednesday, it looked like Democrats were going to use it on the GOP funding bill, heartening Democratic voters who demanded they do more to stop Trump.
But just a day later, after a heated closed-door debate within his caucus, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced he would not filibuster the bill, issuing a key signal that ultimately led nine more of his Democratic colleagues to follow suit and clear the way for its passage on Friday.
It was a stunning reversal that prompted outcry from other Democrats across the ideological spectrum, including two of Schumer’s allies, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
“I’ll take the bullets,” Schumer told The New York Times, insisting that a government shutdown would give Trump even more power to close federal programs and lay off workers.
Other Democrats, however, said that passing the GOP spending bill would empower Trump to withhold funding to states and localities that don’t do his bidding, including those of Republicans who may stand in his way. They also said that by choosing not to filibuster now, Democrats were weakening their hand and setting themselves up for another embarrassing loss to Republicans when funding expires in September.
“We become irrelevant if we don’t use our power on cloture to demand that we have a seat at the table. We obviously have to make sure we aren’t cut out of negotiations in the future,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Friday.
Asked what leverage Democrats had over Trump in the future, Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), said, “I think we would have more if stood up for ourselves today.”
Schumer, meanwhile, told reporters he thinks Democrats might be able to get a better deal since Trump will be less popular come September and that Republican appropriators might be more willing to stand up to him. Trump’s approval numbers have dipped in recent weeks, especially due to his handling of the economy and turmoil in the stock market.
It’s possible that Trump’s approval rating nosedives even more in the next six months, but history has shown that congressional Republicans are far more likely to bend the knee than risk angering the president or his supporters.
There could be opportunities for Congress to return to passing bipartisan spending bills via regular order, unlike the one that passed on Friday. Lawmakers must tackle several issues in the coming months that could require bipartisan support, including raising the debt ceiling and delivering aid to victims of the California wildfires. They will also have to act to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that are due to expire at the end of the year.
“I hope we can work on something that it is bipartisan. I think we can,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said Friday. “There are things you got, the ACA, expiring subsidies and other things out there that maybe we can get a bipartisan outcome.”
Democrats have had more success in pushing back against Trump and Musk’s efforts in the courts. The president has suffered several legal setbacks, including judges striking down his executive order eliminating birthright citizenship as well as reinstating many federal workers who were laid off in recent weeks.
Republicans have also suffered in the court of public opinion. GOP lawmakers have faced angry town halls with many voters posing scathing questions about policies rolled out under Trump’s administration, including tariffs on Canada and Mexico and cuts to popular agencies like the Social Security Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Turmp, meanwhile, gloated as Democrats bickered over their situation on Friday, praising Schumer for making a “really good and smart move” by not blocking the bill funding the government.
“Congratulations to Chuck Schumer for doing the right thing ― Took “guts” and courage!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
