Senate Democrats have decided not to advance a partisan House-passed funding bill, venturing that Republicans will be to blame if the government shuts down Friday.
“Democrats had nothing to do with this bill,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said in the Capitol Wednesday. “And we want an opportunity to get an amendment vote or two.”
Democratic leaders say the GOP bill crafted by House Speaker Mike Johnson and backed by President Donald Trump lacks enough support to move forward in the upper chamber because it gives Trump and Elon Musk too much leverage over spending decisions.
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“Funding the government should be a bipartisan effort. But Republicans chose a partisan path, drafting their continuing resolution without any input—any input—from congressional Democrats,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor. “Because of that, Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate” to move forward with the House GOP bill.
Republicans would need at least eight Democrats to buck their party and overcome procedural hurdles to win Senate approval and send the bill, known as a continuing resolution, to the president’s desk.
Schumer is pushing for a 30-day funding measure in lieu of the House bill, which would extend funding for six months and help fund Trump’s mass deportations.
“Our caucus is unified on a clean April 11 CR that will keep the government open and give Congress time to negotiate bipartisan legislation that can pass,” Schumer said.
It’s unclear whether the Schumer’s ultimatum will trigger the government to shut down at midnight Friday, when current federal funding runs out. As Kaine indicated, some Democrats are open to negotiating with Republicans on making changes to the bill.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, so far, is the only Republican in the chamber to publicly oppose the House-passed measure.
House Republicans sent their members home for a week-long recess after passing the funding resolution on Tuesday in a bid to force Senate Democrats to cave and approve the bill as is. But it appears Senate Democrats have enough votes to block the six-month continuing resolution.
Still, at least one Democrat fears that not backing the bill and triggering a government shutdown could backfire politically. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), indicating he’ll support the GOP bill, says a shutdown would “hurt millions and millions of people and run the risk of slipping [the economy] into a recession.”
One senior House Democratic source told the Daily Beast that most Democrats, who are eager to win back the House in 2026, agree that Schumer is doing the right thing. They’re convinced that Republicans—who control the White House and both chambers of Congress—will be blamed by voters for both a costly shutdown and the Trump administration’s massive cuts to federal programs and the workforce.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has indicated there is no Plan B if Democrats opt to filibuster the six-month bill, saying, “It shouldn’t fail.”
House Republicans are already casting blame on Senate Democrats for the increasing chances of a shutdown up against the clock.
“Chuck Schumer has to decide all that strategy and that math,” Speaker Johnson told Fox News. “But I think they need to put partisan politics aside.
“This is not a win for the Trump administration. This is a win for the American people,” he said. “Chuck Schumer has to weigh that today, and I hope he does the right thing.”
