Schumer says he'll vote to keep government open as Democrats criticize GOP plan
www.cbsnews.com
The Senate plans to take up a House-passed bill to fund the government through September beginning on Friday, which needs the support of Democrats to move forward.

With government funding set to expire on Friday night, Democrats find themselves in the position of being able to block the GOP bill, but also wary of the government shutdown that would ensue if they do so. Democratic leaders are instead pushing for a 30-day funding extension that would allow more time for negotiations on new spending bills — a nonstarter, given Republican control of the House and Senate.

A possible solution began to emerge after Senate Democrats met on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. The plan would call for Democrats to provide the votes needed to advance the GOP bill in exchange for a vote on an amendment with their own one-month stopgap measure, which would almost certainly fail. Democrats who oppose the GOP version could then vote against its final passage. Some members see it as a way to save face while also avoiding a shutdown.

“I think we’re going to all be ‘no’ on cloture unless we get an agreement to propose at least this 30-day clean [continuing resolution] amendment and maybe a couple of others,” Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia told reporters Thursday morning. “So we’ll be ‘no’ on cloture unless we get an agreement to do that. I’m not aware of whether the Republicans have agreed to that yet, but we’ll be ‘no’ on cloture if we don’t get it, and I think that’s a unified position.”

Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20250313215301/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/government-shutdown-2025-senate-democrats-vote/

  • GuyFawkesEnglish
    54·
    1 day ago

    Dems need to vote NO across the board. Obstruct obstruct obstruct - let them have a taste of their own medicine!

    • Montagge@lemmy.zip
      17·
      23 hours ago

      The problem with that is the Republicans did that because they controlled either the House or the Senate. The Democrats control neither.

      • gAlienLifeform@lemmy.worldOP
        19·
        23 hours ago

        The Republicans do not currently have a filibuster proof majority in the Senate. Dems can’t pass anything, but they absolutely can prevent stuff from passing.

      • Keeponstalin@lemmy.world
        11·
        22 hours ago

        Things our Representatives can do to fight back, delay, and obstruct Trump’s fascist agenda:

        For Senate Democrats:

        https://indivisible.org/resource/explainer-how-senate-democrats-can-delay-defy-trumps-agenda-procedural-hardball

        Weaponizing Quorum Calls: No Majority, No Business

        Most of the time, Senators are not on the Senate floor. But technically, the Senate is not allowed to conduct official business unless a majority of senators (51 if all seats are filled) are present. That’s called a quorum, and it’s the foundation of Senate procedure. If a quorum isn’t present, the Senate grinds to a halt. The friendly thing to do is to NOT ask if there is a quorum - that’s how MOST business moves forward in the Senate. But Senate Democrats can use their power in the minority to call for a quorum and cause massive disruptions by constantly demanding quorum calls and even walking out to deny Republicans the ability to govern.

        Blocking Unanimous Consent: Every Action Must Take the Maximum Time

        Unanimous consent is the grease that keeps the Senate moving. Normally, the Senate runs on handshake deals—routine matters like scheduling votes, moving bills forward, or skipping over procedural steps all happen only if no senator objects. That’s called unanimous consent (UC)—and if even one Democrat objects, it forces the Senate to go through long, time-consuming processes to get anything done.

        For House Democrats

        https://indivisible.org/resource/explainer-how-house-democrats-can-delay-and-defy-trump-musk-coup

        1. Procedural Hardball to Slow Down the Coup 
        Force roll call votes on everything—Republicans must go on record for every bad decision.
Use motions to recommit to force Republicans to take difficult votes.
File privileged resolutions to demand immediate consideration of issues Republicans want to avoid.
Leverage parliamentary inquiries and points of order to disrupt floor proceedings and expose GOP dysfunction.
        2. Show Up and Fight in Committees 
        Put Republicans on the record about their harmful policies.
Force votes when GOP members are absent to either force something through or force every Republican member to be in their seats the entire time.
Make motions to subpoena officials and demand transparency.
Expose MAGA extremism in real-time.
        3. Investigate and Expose MAGA Sabotage 
        Demand hearings on Trump’s and Vought’s plans to override federal spending. If Republicans refuse to hold real oversight hearings, Democrats must take matters into their own hands. That means holding shadow hearings—bringing in experts, impacted communities, and whistleblowers to expose how MAGA elites are trying to loot the government and rig the system for billionaires. These hearings should be public, media-driven, and designed to put pressure on Republicans to defend their corruption in the light of day.
Publicize findings to show voters exactly how MAGA elites are trying to loot the government, and while Republicans are covering for the Trump-Musk coup, Democrats are fighting to stop it.
        4. Take the Fight to the Public 
        Host Town Halls: Update voters on how Democrats are fighting back.
Adopt GOP Districts: Hold town halls in Republican-held areas to expose GOP sabotage and talk directly to their constituents.
Engage Online: Mobilize voters with digital content that names names and pulls no punches.