What will Senate Democrats do today? Will they force a government shutdown, or will they fund the government?
This week, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) went from claiming that Republicans didn’t have the votes to invoke cloture and clear the way for the House-passed Continuing Resolution (CR) to folding like a cheap lawn chair after it was clear that several Democrats didn’t want to be responsible for shutting down the government. I also suspect that internal Democrat polling showed that forcing a shutdown would backfire on the Democrats.
Schumer announced his intention to vote for the CR, justifying his move by saying that a shutdown would result in a worse outcome and bizarrely suggesting that Trump actually wants a shutdown.
“I believe it is my job to make the best choice for the country to minimize the harms to the American people,” Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor Thursday. “Therefore, I will vote to keep the government open and not shut it down. There is nobody in the world — nobody — who wants to shut the government down more than Donald Trump and more than Elon Musk.”
Despite the absurd political gymnastics, President Trump offered some praise for Schumer for doing the right thing.
“Congratulations to Chuck Schumer for doing the right thing,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. He added that it took “‘guts’ and courage” to do so.
The big Tax Cuts, L.A. fire fix, Debt Ceiling Bill, and so much more, is coming. We should all work together on that very dangerous situation. A non pass would be a Country destroyer, approval will lead us to new heights. Again, really good and smart move by Senator Schumer. This could lead to something big for the USA, a whole new direction and beginning!
In the past day, we’ve seen plenty of Senate Democrats come forward, announcing their intention to oppose the CR. So will the CR pass with Democrat support?
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) weighed in on the ongoing battle to fund the government. With his signature mix of bluntness and humor, Kennedy made it clear that he believes that shutting down the government would be, in his words, “bone deep down to the marrow stupid.”
“To my friends who don’t want to vote for the bill, you know, that’s their right,” Kennedy said. “Everybody sees the world from their own bell tower.”
But he had a sharp piece of advice for his colleagues: “When my Democratic colleagues and my Republican colleagues ask me how they ought to vote, I tell them how I’m going to vote. And if they ask me how they should vote, which happens on occasion, I tell them: Follow your heart, but take your brain with you.”
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Kennedy warned that a shutdown would create unnecessary panic, particularly among senior citizens. “Nobody wins,” he said. “Scares the hell out of our elderly. They think their Social Security and their Medicare is [sic] going to be impacted. It isn’t in a shutdown. But why go through that? Why put the American people through that?”
Despite his criticism, Kennedy had a rare word of praise for Schumer, who helped broker the deal to keep the government running. “I want to thank my friend Senator Schumer for doing this and foreseeing the light here,” Kennedy said before adding with a grin, “We might make a Republican out of him.”
If only.
🚨 SENATOR KENNEDY CALLS OUT DEMOCRATS PLANNING TO BREAK WITH SCHUMER!
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 14, 2025
"Follow your heart, but take your brain with you!"
"This is one where it would just be, in my judgment, it would be bone deep down to the marrow STUPID to shut government down!"
"I want to thank my friend… pic.twitter.com/f6agxqBerZ
As the deadline looms, Kennedy’s message to his colleagues was clear: stop playing games and do the responsible thing.
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