Republicans brace for Democrats' critical analysis in first major congressional hearing on Trump's presidency
Bloody hell, the Democrats are stuck in a pickle, alright! They've finally found a chance to put a spanner in President Donald Trump's works, but it comes with a devilish dilemma that could leave them looking even more incapable in his second term.
The crux of the issue revolves around a temporary government funding bill that could provide a shield for Trump's anti-government purge, while desperate Democratic voters yearn for their lawmakers to show some backbone. Ahead of a crucial Senate vote, Democratic leaders are faced with a paradoxical conundrum: Should they pull the plug on the government to save it? This gamble could come with a hefty downside, as closed agencies and thousands of unemployed federal workers could find themselves even more vulnerable to the ruthless axe of Elon Musk.
All this unfolds against a boiling cauldron of mounting frustration from progressives, who've gone from despairing after the 2024 election to outright horror as Trump's turned Washington upside down in his first 50 days in office, shattering the liberal world order that's been in place for 80 years.
Democrats were mercilessly mocked for their feeble protests that highlighted their powerlessness during Trump's joint address to Congress earlier this month, when some wore color-coordinated dress and others held up paddles bearing anti-Trump slogans. Pennsylvania Democratic volunteer Bobbi Erickson wants her party's leaders to stand up to Trump. "We are watching the Constitution burn. We are watching the country that we love be systematically dismantled," Erickson told CNN's Eva McKend, whose recent journey to the commonwealth exposed extreme impatience among grassroots Democrats.
Back in Washington, party leaders have a chance to show some grit.
History indicates that Republicans usually bear the brunt of the blame for the kind of partial government shutdown that'll commence at midnight Friday if the Senate doesn't approve new spending to keep it running. However, Trump and Musk, with their breathtaking moves to dismantle the federal machine, have jumbled political logic, leaving both parties scrambling to work out novel calculations that have altered the politics of shutdown dramas.
In the House of Representatives, the GOP set up a one-two punch by passing a bill to freeze spending at current levels until the end of September – while reallocating funds to prioritize Trump's priorities, such as border enforcement. The House then promptly skedaddled, leaving the Senate to sort out the mess.
DOGE may emerge victorious, no matter what happens
Democrats dread that this stopgap bill will merely provide Trump and Musk with another six months to widen the Department of Government Efficiency's plan to fire thousands of workers and shut down entire federal departments. But in theory, they can thwart it by refusing to provide the GOP the probable eight votes needed to reach a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. The need for 60-vote thresholds for most bills is the only lever the Democrats can pull in the capital to slow or moderate Trump's actions.
"I'm going to vote against what came over from the House Republicans to the Senate last night because I don't want to give my vote to support what Trump and Musk are doing," Delaware Sen. Chris Coons told "CNN News Central" Wednesday.
But if Democrats take this route, they'll be shutting down the government just as Trump is trying to destroy it.
Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, told CNN's Kaitlan Collins on Tuesday that he hadn't decided how to vote yet. But he sees downsides to a shutdown that go beyond inflicting even more hardship on federal workers. "If it shuts down, what is Elon Musk going to allow to open back up? That's a big concern of mine," Kelly said. "How many more veterans is Elon, and this administration, going to fire? So, there's not a good option here."
Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sought to free Democrats from their dismal political noose on Wednesday, warning that the 60 votes needed to pass the funding bill do not yet exist. He called for a separate one-month extension with identical spending allocations as those currently in force to allow for bipartisan negotiations. "We should vote on that. I hope, I hope our Republican colleagues will join us to avoid a shutdown on Friday," Schumer said on Wednesday.
But there's no chance the GOP, basking in its monopoly on Washington power, will "join" with the minority party. So, it's only fair to ask whether Schumer is taking a stand for effect in the expectation that enough of his members will eventually vote to keep the government open – while enabling the bulk of his party to cast a symbolic, yet politically beneficial vote against Trump.
Republicans are relishing the spectacle after setting their trap.
"Chuck Schumer has a big decision to make. Is he going to pass the bill to keep the government open? Or is he going to be blamed for shutting it down?" House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News on Wednesday. The Louisiana Republican held his tiny majority together to pass the stopgap bill in a feat that demonstrated Trump's enormous influence. Johnson is obviously enjoying hurling the same lines at Democrats as he and his GOP colleagues have faced for years in shutdown sagas.
"I detest" the bill
The next two days will be a gut-wrenching experience for Democrats. "I hate the House bill," Sen. John Hickenlooper told CNN's Manu Raju. The Colorado Democrat is leaning toward voting for the measure despite warning that it would give Trump more time to force through the sweeping government cuts that are "exactly what we've been fighting against."
The arguments for mounting a Senate blockade, even at the risk of a government shutdown, are mostly rooted in the opportunity for Democrats to demonstrate some resistance to the most chaotic first 100 days in modern presidential history.
- A vote to stall the bill in the full knowledge that the government would shut down would represent a bet that despite their bravado, Republicans would still pay a political price for a shutdown – as essential workers labor without pay, thousands more are furloughed, and critical services like airport security and public health risk being disrupted.
- If they thwart the Republican plan, the Democrats will at least be doing something that they can show their restless voters.
- Democrats would also be hoping to put pressure on Johnson and force him to face a backlash for sending his members home. They'd hope either to gain some concessions that could slow the Trump juggernaut or to open fissures in the tiny GOP House majority that could be important in later, more critical fights.
- As well as the possibility that they'd be inadvertently putting some government departments at risk, the party would be complicit in causing pain to the very federal workers it is trying to protect.
- A shutdown could be yet another shock to an economy that's already showing signs of distress, as consumer demand wanes and trauma widens over Trump's trade wars.
- Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman is one of the few Democrats to openly advocate for passing the stopgap bill – after previously riling some grassroots members of his party by accommodating some of Trump's policies and nominees.
"If you shut it down, you will impact and hurt millions and millions and millions of Americans, and you run the risk of slipping us into a recession or even all kinds of other things," Fetterman told CNN's Manu Raju on Wednesday. "Remember what you were voting for. You were voting to shut down the government, and that will absolutely punish millions, millions of Americans," Fetterman said.
Fetterman's attitude may look like an abdication to many Democrats who have been demanding tougher action from their representatives in Washington. But it also underscores one bitter truth the party is constantly forced to confront: It lacks the power to make a real impact. The earliest that can change is the midterm elections in 2026, when Democrats hope historical precedents will hold firm, and they'll recapture the House and the power to check the incumbent president.
However, their odds of overturning the GOP's current 53-47 edge in the Senate are problematic, with only two Republican-held seats, in Maine and North Carolina, sure bets to be competitive, and with several incumbent Democrats looking vulnerable. The equation became even more daunting Wednesday when Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire – a state that only narrowly went to Democrats in the 2024 presidential election – announced she will not run for reelection, opening a competitive race for her seat.
- In the midst of a divisive political landscape, Elon Musk's business strategies could potentially worsen the effects of a potential government shutdown, leaving thousands of unemployed federal workers even more susceptible to job losses.
- As Democratic leaders negotiate their approach to a government funding bill, they face a difficult decision: refusing to approve the bill might further exacerbate Trump's proposed government cuts, but doing so could lead to a shutdown, causing more hardship for federal workers and potentially putting vulnerable agencies at risk.
- As the 2026 midterm elections approach, the Democrats recognize their powerlessness to significantly impact current policies and the ongoing government shutdown drama, underscoring the difficult positions they find themselves in during President Trump's term.
