Would I call Senator Elizabeth Warren’s office and tell her how to vote on the pile of crap that is the House continuing resolution to keep the government open? No, I would not. Same goes for Bernie Sanders, Ed Markey, and others. Senator Chuck Schumer? Especially after he announced last night he would be voting for the House CR? No I would not do anything there either. It is important to look at Schumer’s stated reason.
“For sure the Republican bill is a terrible option,” Schumer said on the Senate floor, according to the Washington Post. “But I believe allowing Donald Trump to take … much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option.”
It is what it is, although Schumer’s announcement provides cover for some Democrats to vote yes. If every senator shows up for the vote, and the two independents side with Democrats, (I think one Republican is absent). Republicans need 8 Democrats to file cloture before the actual CR is up for a vote, passing with a simple majority. So they have Fetterman and Schumer. That leaves six more.
Progressive personalities were out after Schumer’s announcement last night.
“Should Schumer and Jeffries be replaced?” Stacey Walker asked on Substack. ” Instead of leveraging this moment to demand real concessions, Schumer has once again capitulated without a fight, proving that Democratic leadership is not just ineffective but woefully complicit in the assault on our democracy. At what point do we demand a change?”
“Tonight, Chuck Schumer announced that he is going to vote in favor of the Republican budget resolution, which includes massive, unprecedented cuts to social services like SNAP benefits (better known as food stamps), Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, all so that billionaires can get even richer through tax breaks.” Elizabeth Cronise McLaughlin wrote in her weekly newsletter about Trumpland. “Reportedly, Chuck is doing this because he’s afraid of what the American people will think of Democrats if the government shuts down. That is complicity. It is cowardice. It is shameful.”
I’ve already written my U.S. Senators and Chuck Grassley wrote back already. There is no changing Republican minds on the CR. So we wait. The vote is expected today, and if there is no CR, the government begins shutting down a minute after midnight tonight.
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