Schumer warns of growing chance of government shutdown
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) warned his Democratic colleagues in a letter Tuesday of the growing chance of a government shutdown, declaring that “Republicans are once again threatening to go-at-it-alone” by not negotiating with Democrats on a stopgap spending measure.
Schumer said the Trump administration is provoking a standoff over government funding by moving forward with a “pocket rescission” to claw back nearly $5 billion in federal funding for the State Department and the dismantled U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
“The only way to avoid a shutdown is to work in a bipartisan way, with a bill that can get both Republican and Democratic votes in the Senate,” he wrote to colleagues in the letter. “However, as we near the funding deadline, Republicans are once again threatening to go-at-it-alone – heading our country towards a shutdown.”
“With the Trump administration’s attempt of the so-called ‘pocket rescission,’ it is clear that Republicans are prioritizing chaos over governing, partisanship over partnership, and their own power over the American people,” the New York Democrat added.
The Government Accountability Office has concluded that using a pocket rescission to rescind funds without congressional approval is unlawful, Democrats note.
The Democratic leader is also warning of he calls a looming “health care crisis” because of the expiration of expanded health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid spending cuts in President Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
Schumer said that Democrats are willing to negotiate with Republicans on a stopgap funding measure and argued that Trump instead wants to wage “all-out war against Congress’ Article I authority and the constitutional balance of power.”
“Senate Republicans must decide: stand up for the legislative branch or enable Trump’s slide toward authoritarianism,” he wrote.
Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) have asked Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to participate in a “four corners” negotiation to reach a spending agreement but so far GOP leaders have held off from meeting.
“This month will give us the opportunity to show a sharp contrast between our agenda and the chaos and extremism of the other side,” the Senate minority leader continued in his letter. “I have spoken with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and we are aligned on our shared priorities for September.”
Schumer also congratulated his Senate Democratic colleagues for holding nearly 300 events around the country during the August recess to highlight how Trump’s agenda has raised costs and cut essential services.
“Families are watching hospitals close, food pantries shutter and loved ones lose jobs because of Trump’s bill,” he said. “No matter how Republicans try to dress it up, families see through the lies and feel the daily damage.”