Catching Fish or Cutting: Why Republicans Can’t Embrace a Shutdown? Chuck Schumer, the Senate, and Senator Fetterman

Many Democrats described the choice facing them it as a “pick-your-poison” moment with no easy answer. Helping Republicans pass the CR avoids a shutdown and issues they argue impact defense and other programs that are relying on increases instead of flat funding. But blocking it opens them up to the uncertainty of what the Trump administration would decide about who qualifies as essential workers and what other cuts they could impose during a shutdown.

It was a shock for House Democrats when Chuck Schumer announced his plans to give one of the crucial Democratic votes Republicans need to advance a partisan spending bill.

“It’s time for Democrats to use their strength and dexterity to catch fish or cut bait,” he said in his speech. There are two days left before government funding ends. Democrats need to make a decision on whether or not to support funding legislation that was passed by the House or if they will shut down the government.

The party’s base is demanding they fight President Trump and Elon Musk’s rapid fire cuts to the federal workforce and block the funding bill that was crafted without Democratic input.

But Democrats say it is not that simple. There is concern about the impact of a shutdown, and the plan to get out of one. Also weighing on Democrats hoping to regain control of at least one chamber of Congress is 2026 is the political impact. Senate Democrats have a large microphone and can decide what happens if Republicans in the House and White House don’t like it.

Schumer said on the Senate floor that funding the government should be a bipartisan effort. “But Republicans chose a partisan path, drafting their continuing resolution without any input, any input, from Congressional Democrats. Because of that, Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on the House CR.”

At least one defection is certain for the Senate Republicans. Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul said last week he would vote no on the plan, unless it could codify cuts led by Elon Musk, the billionaire and advisor to President Trump.

So far only one Senate Democrat, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, has said publicly he would vote with the GOP to approve the CR. Fetterman said he wants to avoid a shutdown: “that’s chaos and I will never vote for chaos.”

Schumer called for a temporary stopgap measure on Wednesday to keep agencies funded through April 11 as the parties negotiate the annual spending bills.

Why does the budget short term bill matter? Speaking out against the proposal at the retreat of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

When asked if he would allow Democrats to vote on their proposal, he didn’t expect it to pass. He said he had not heard any offer from Democrats yet.

“If they want to vote on that in exchange for getting us the votes to pass to September 30, I think we’re open to that. The House is gone, so whatever happens is going to have to be the final one, I think.

Warner and Hickenlooper both said they would vote against the short term bill. Although Schumer signaled that his caucus was united, not everyone agrees.

He said on social media platform X that “Total theater is neither honest with constituents or a winning argument”, and warned about the consequences of a 30-day CR that 100% fails.

Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, both Democrats, were the first ones in the state to speak out against the funding bill through September because of their concerns over the impact of the stopgap.

Many House Democrats went to social media to encourage their Senate counterparts to also oppose the plan.

The entire party has a deep sense of outrage and betrayal, and this is not just progressive democrats, said New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the party retreat.

House Democrats began their annual retreat already worried about how their Senate counterparts would vote on a GOP spending bill that all but one House Democrat voted against earlier in the week. Democrats thought that the vote was a gesture of solidarity and hoped senators would follow suit.

Jayapal warned that the vote is not just about this spending bill. If we give in to this, we’re going to give in on a lot of other things.

“Voting against the CR after you vote to allow the bill on the floor, which is what I assume some of them are trying to be too clever in doing,” Morelle sighed. I think this will allow Republicans to continue to dismantle the government. Senate Democrats have acquiesced to their demands.

There is time for her and her colleagues to correct course, and they are calling and texting senators to oppose the cloture vote.

She said that a shutdown isn’t inevitable. A 30-day extension is enough for Republicans to negotiate with Democrats in order to have a functioning government.

“This is not a time to have a lack of clarity and lack of purpose. “This is a good time to make a decision,” New Mexico Rep. Gabe Vasquez told NPR before Schumer spoke.

“Showing the American people that we’re going to stand up and fight for them is one of the few ways that Democrats can gain leverage over this administration.”

The Democratic leader in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY, released a statement saying that the GOP bill will allow billionaires such as Donald Trump and Musk to dismantle the federal government.

Jeffries, along with whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., and caucus chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., wrote that their caucus stands ready to vote for a four-week continuing resolution that brings parties back to the negotiating table.