Schumer backs GOP funding bill to avoid shutdown

File Source: AP News

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has conceded to advancing a Republican-led government funding bill, choosing to avoid a government shutdown rather than continue a standoff that has deeply divided his party.

With a midnight deadline looming, Schumer told Senate Democrats in a closed-door lunch Thursday that as much as they oppose the bill, allowing a shutdown would give President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk “carte blanche” to dismantle federal agencies.

“Trump has taken a blowtorch to our country and wielded chaos like a weapon,” Schumer said in public remarks ahead of Friday’s vote. “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 marks a turning point after days of Democratic resistance to the package, which already passed the House without restrictions on Trump’s controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The department has been rapidly cutting federal operations and purging thousands of government employees, alarming Democrats who say it is eroding the civil service.

Trump, sensing the tension, offered to step in as a negotiator. “If they need me, I’m there 100%,” he said Thursday. At the same time, he sought to shift blame for any shutdown, telling reporters, “If it shuts down, it’s not the Republicans’ fault.”

Democrats had pushed for a 30-day stopgap funding measure, but Republicans rejected the idea. With limited options, Schumer announced he would vote to proceed with the bill, according to two sources familiar with his remarks. While some Democrats remain adamantly opposed, many fear the damage Trump and Musk could inflict if a shutdown were to occur.

“People have strong views on both sides,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who remains against the package.

As the Senate convened Thursday with just one day left before the deadline, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., challenged Democrats to act. “It’s time for Democrats to fish or cut bait,” he said.

The standoff highlights the shifting balance of power in Washington, where Republicans now control both Congress and the White House, leaving Democrats struggling to block Trump’s aggressive restructuring of the federal government. House Republicans, despite past infighting, remained united to pass their funding bill, which includes deep cuts through DOGE. Once the bill cleared the House, lawmakers left town, leaving the Senate