WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer relented Thursday rather than risk a government shutdown, announcing he's ready to start the process of considering a Republican-led government funding bill that has fiercely divided Democrats under pressure to impose limits on the Trump administration.
Schumer told Democrats privately during a spirited closed-door lunch and then made public remarks ahead of voting Friday, which will be hours before the midnight deadline to keep government running. The New York senator said as bad as the GOP bill is, a shutdown would be worse, giving President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk “carte blanche” as they tear through the government.
“Trump has taken a blowtorch to our country and wielded chaos like a weapon,” Schumer said. “For Donald Trump, a shutdown would be a gift. It would be the best distraction he could ask for from his awful agenda.”
The move by Schumer brings a potential resolution to what has been a dayslong standoff. Senate Democrats have mounted a last-ditch protest over the package, which already passed the House but without slapping any limits they were demanding on Trump and billionaire Musk's efforts to gut federal operations.
The Democrats are under intense pressure to do whatever they can to stop the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, which is taking a wrecking ball to long-established government agencies and purging thousands of federal workers from jobs.
Trump himself offered to wade in Thursday to negotiate: “If they need me, I’m there 100%.”
But the president also began casting blame on Democrats for any potential disruptions, saying during an Oval Office meeting, “If it shuts down, it’s not the Republicans’ fault.”
Democrats are pushing a stopgap 30-day funding bill as an alternative. But Schumer said Republicans rejected that offer. And while Democrats were split over strategy, they worried about the further chaos they say Trump and Musk could cause if government was shutdown.
Schumer told Democrats at a spirited closed-door lunch that he would be voting to proceed to the bill. His comments first reported by The New York Times, were confirmed by two people familiar with the matter and granted anonymity to discuss it.
”People have strong views on both sides,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who is opposed to the package.
As the Senate opened Thursday, with one day to go before Friday’s midnight deadline, Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, “It’s time for Democrats to fish or cut bait.”
Debates over funding the federal government routinely erupt in deadline moments, but this year it’s showing the political leverage of Republicans, newly in majority control of the White House and Congress, and the shortcomings of Democrats, who are finding themselves unable to stop the Trump administration’s march across federal operations.
In a rare turn of events, House Republicans stuck together to pass their bill, with many conservatives cheering the DOGE cuts leaving Democrats sidelined as they stood opposed. The House then left town, sending it to the Senate for final action.
Options for Schumer have been limited, and final passage before the deadline is not guaranteed.
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority and would need Democrats to support the package to reach the 60-vote threshold, which is required to overcome a filibuster.
“I’m in the camp of like, don’t ever, ever shut the government down,” said Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa.
Over the next 24 hours, Democrats face this choice: Provide the votes needed to advance the package, which funds government operations through the end of September, or risk a shutdown when money expires midnight Friday.
“They’ll cave,” predicted Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn.
Cornyn said the Democrats "have been railing against Elon Musk and the Trump administration over reductions in force of the federal employees, and now they basically want to put all of them out of work by shutting down the government." He added, "I don’t know how you reconcile those two positions.”
But progressive Democrats, including allies in the House, are pushing Democrats to draw the line against Trump — even if it courts a federal shutdown.
Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said on social media that the House GOP bill will “supercharge Musk's theft from working people to pay for billionaire tax cuts. Senate Democrats must stop it.”
In an highly unusual turn, the House package also required the District of Columbia, which already approved its own balanced budget, to revert back to 2024 levels, drawing outcry from the mayor and city leaders. They warn of steep reductions to city services.
Schumer said he would "work with them to fix it.”
Democratic senators are assessing next steps as they prepare for voting.
“Both choices that we are being offered are full of despair,” said Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo.
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Associated Press writer Darlene Superville, Aamer Madhani, Leah Askarinam and Stephen Groves contributed to this report.
Lisa Mascaro And Mary Clare Jalonick, The Associated Press
