The Shadow
Schumer Shutdown Gives Trump Dozer
Threats of a government shutdown from Congressional Democrats, led by Senator Chuck Schumer, have grown as the Congress approaches the end of the fiscal year on September 30th.
And yet, Democrats are trying to blame Republicans for the looming Schumer shutdown!
Should Schumer cause a shutdown, President Trump has made a commitment to “take care” of the military and social security payments.
But government shutdowns can impact other things.
During one shutdown, President Obama closed the Blue Ridge Parkway and war memorials like the DC World War II Memorial on the National Mall!
So where do things stand?
House Republicans recently passed a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government open and funded through November 21.
Basically, a CR means the government sustains the same spending levels as enacted in the previous fiscal year.
I generally do not like the continued practice of Congress punting government funding deadlines to the week before a holiday.
Some lawmakers, who want to spend time with their families for the holidays, may feel compelled to vote for a funding bill they would otherwise oppose.
But the House-passed CR is predominantly clean. No controversial partisan policy riders were attached.
If enacted into law, lawmakers can continue the regular process of passing annual appropriations bills. For these reasons, I supported the straightforward, short-term CR.
I participated in Rules Committee debate where it seemed the Democrats had little or no objections to the few policy items in the CR.
Rather, what they objected to was the CR did not go far enough to give them more spending and more permanent programs!
But House Democrats almost unanimously opposed the clean CR. And Senate Democrats are making it clear that the government must be funded on their partisan terms if there is to be an agreement.
Such proposals are not genuine, reasonable negotiating terms. President Trump and Republicans see through their demands.
It appears that Senator Schumer and the rest of Democratic leadership prefer to pick a fight with President Trump and shut down the government, even if it means:
- laying off federal workers
- temporarily shuttering some federal agencies
- eliminating some non-Congressionally authorized federal programs
Interestingly, the very same Democrats were singing a different tune just a year ago.
In September 2024, Senator Schumer remarked: “If the government shuts down, it will be average Americans who suffer most.”
Other Democrats have made similar statements, one observing that: “End of the day, on this issue, again, no state in the country is more disproportionately hit than Virginia with a government shutdown.”
So what changed?
I believe Congressional Democrats are feeling the heat right now from their base. According to a Semafor article, one poll shows seven in 10 Democrats support withholding votes unless Republicans make changes even if it risks a shutdown.
Congressional Democrats seem to be acting based off making political appeal to their base as opposed to making a good faith attempt to protect veterans, seniors and working families.
Many Congressional Democrats already voted to shut down the government earlier this year. This time, nearly all Senate Democrats seem to be unified in shutting it down.
If the Schumer shutdown takes effect, the Democrats will deliver President Trump and Russ Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), a tremendous amount of authority over federal spending.
Previously this year, Schumer decried federal employee layoffs saying: Trump is taking a chainsaw to the federal government.
If Schumer shuts the government down, he will be giving Trump a bulldozer to bury segments of the federal government!
A recent OMB memo to federal agencies warns of Reduction in Force (RIF) plans.
The Administration can choose to lay off people who are not “essential” and order which federal agencies can continue operating.
That in turn will affect how states, blue and red, operate and help American communities.
Therefore, Democrats are handing Trump great power in the event of a shutdown.
Power they previously fought in the courts to prevent Trump from having, they are now handing to him on a silver platter!
I do not want a shutdown, and would encourage all Democrats, Democratic officeholders and Democratic candidates to join me in this position.
If Democrats want to get serious and remove their partisan attitudes, I believe a deal can be reached quickly so we can continue serving our constituents and working on the appropriations bills.
The clock is ticking. Republicans have voted to keep the government open. Will Democrats do the same?
Stay tuned.
If you have questions, concerns, or comments about my constituent services, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at https://morgangriffith.house.gov/.
