The Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, announced Thursday evening that he planned to vote to keep the government open, reporting that there will be almost certainly enough democratic votes to advance a GOP financing bill before a closing deadline at the end of the day.
In Remarks On the Senate soil, Schumer conceded a closure of the government is the worst result.
“Although the republican bill is very bad, the closure potential has consequences for America which are much worse. Of course, the republican bill is a terrible option,” he said. “It’s not a clean CR” or a continuous resolution, he said. “It is deeply partisan. It does not meet too much to the needs of this country, but I think that allowing Donald Trump to take even more power in a closure of the government is a much worse option.”
The Republicans, argued Schumer, are to blame for a “choice of Hobson” which “brought us to the brink of the disaster”.
“Unless the Congress agrees, the federal government will close tomorrow at midnight. I said on several occasions that there were no winners in a government closure. But there are certainly victims: the most vulnerable Americans count on federal programs to feed their families to access medical care and remain financially,” said Schumer.
The leader of the Senate minority, Chuck Schumer, left the Democratic Caucus lunch at the American Capitol, March 13, 2025 in Washington.
Kayla Bartkowski / Getty Images
A decision to close the government would give President Donald Donald Trump and his main advisor Elon Musk too much power to continue his reductions in federal workers without discretion, he said.
“A closure would give Donald Trump and Elon Musk Carte Blanche to destroy vital government services at a much faster rate than they can at the moment. Under the closure of the Trump administration would have the power to consider the whole programs of the programs of a non -essential personnel and without promise without promise that they would never be rehired,” said Schumer. “In short: a closure would give Donald Trump Elon Musk and Doge the keys to the state of the city and the country.”
Earlier Thursday, Schumer told his colleagues Democrats at a closed -camera lunch that he would vote to open a way for the final adoption of a GOP financing bill, said familiar sources with ABC News.
This decision would open the way to the Republicans to adopt the bill with a simple majority.
The Democrats of the Senate remained tight after having blamed behind closed doors before the government’s financing deadline with rapid approach.
“What’s going on in Caucus, remains in Caucus,” said Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin, leaving the weekly lunch.
“Ask someone else,” said Democrat Senator Cory Booker.
“I have no comments,” said senator Elizabeth Warren.
Several Democrats have admitted in private that they probably do not have the votes to block a republican proposal to maintain the funded government until September, several sources said in ABC News.
Tensions were fully exposed during the private meeting. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand shouted so hard on the impact of a closure that journalists could hear him through the walls.
A democrat who spoke under the cover of anonymity told ABC News: “We lost this two weeks ago … We should have beat this drum for a month.”
At this stage, only Democratic senator John Fetterman had publicly pointed out that he would vote to keep the government open.
Senator John Fetterman speaks to journalists outside the room during a vote at the Capitol in Washington on March 13, 2025.
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Fetterman insisted that he would not succumb to the posture he sees party leaders after having urged the Republicans to keep the government open in the past when the Democrats controlled the upper room.
“Never, never, never, never closed the government,” Fetterman told journalists at the Capitol on Thursday afternoon. “Democrat, republican, independent, nobody. Never close the government. This is one of our main responsibilities.”
Fetterman called “spicy” political pressure – telling journalists that there is “coherent” in his belief in principle not to vote for a closure.
Fetterman acknowledged that the Republicans “dare” democrats to close the government, but the first -year democrat feared that workers and people on leave and people who depend on federal services are “who will really do harm”.
Now that the Republicans have written their bill through the Chamber, Fetterman said he thought the battle was over.
Fetterman said the only time the Democrats have a lever effect was that the Republicans needed votes in the House.
“The GOP delivered, and that has actually frozen. And that forces us to say:” Are you going to close the government, or you will vote for an imperfect CR? “And now for me, I refuse to close the government.”
Schumer said on Wednesday that the Democrats of the Senate would not offer the necessary votes to the Republicans to advance the agreement approved by the House to finance the government until September. Instead, Schumer proposed a one -month stopgap measure to allow appropriars more time to negotiate and make financing invoices for the full year.
The Republicans and the White House, meanwhile, prevent the finger on the Democrats if a closure follows.
“If that closes, it is purely on the Democrats,” said President Donald Trump by answering the journalist’s questions while meeting NATO secretary general, Mark Rutte, in the oval office on Thursday.
Trump was asked if it was forbidden to negotiate with the Democrats and he said that he would do so if the Republicans asked: “If they need me, I’m 100%.”
