WASHINGTON — As the impending government shutdown looms, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced on Wednesday that the Democrats will oppose the Republican-led funding bill as Congress remains in a state of uncertainty.
The House on Tuesday approved a continuing resolution to keep the government funded through the end of September.
“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. Because of that, Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on the House CR,” Schumer said on the floor.
“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,” he said. “I hope our Republican colleagues will join us to avoid a shutdown on Friday.”
Schumer proposed a 30-day continuing resolution, which Democrats unveiled on Monday. However, this resolution is unlikely to pass if the Republican-controlled Senate votes against it.
The government will shutdown at midnight on Friday unless a new funding legislation is signed by President Donald Trump, who has expressed support for the Republican-led proposal.
“There are not the votes right now to pass it,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.,) told reporters. “Democrats had nothing to do with this bill. And we want an opportunity to get an amendment vote or two. And so that’s what we are insisting on.”
Schumer’s floor remarks followed a two-hour-long caucus meeting among Senate Democrats on Wednesday afternoon, which was filled with widespread frustration and anger.
The White House has put pressure on Republicans to get a deal done in order to direct their attention to a trillion-dollar bill that aims to advance Trump’s agenda.
John Fetterman (D-Pa.,) is the lone Democrat who is in support of the Republican-led bill.
