Senate Majority Leader John Thune warned that Congress may be careening towards a partial government shutdown this fall because of pressure from the far-left flank of the Democratic Party.
Thune (R-SD) observed that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has faced intense pressure from his base and mused that a few upcoming votes will provide more clarity about the risks of a partial shutdown.
“I think he [Schumer] probably thinks that it’s beneficial to their political base, the far left of the Democrat Party, and you can kind of see what’s happening up there in New York politics,” Thune told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
In March, Schumer faced fierce progressive backlash after he declined to block a GOP-backed spending patch to avert a partial government shutdown.
The blowback was so pronounced that Schumer was forced to reschedule parts of his book tour as progressives demanded Democrats in Congress put up more of a fight against President Trump.
Government shutdown showdowns are one of the few instances in which Democrats have leverage with the Trump administration, given that they are the minority party in both the House and the Senate.
Every new fiscal year, which starts on Oct. 1, Congress is required to fund the government via 12 appropriations bills or through a continuing resolution in order to avoid a shutdown.
Both avenues are subject to the Senate fillibuster, which requires 60 votes to overcome. Republicans only have 53, which means they need cooperation from Democrats.
At the moment, Congress has funded the government via a continuing resolution, which essentially means that it is running on autopilot until the fall.
“This is a party struggling for an identity. This is a party that’s completely out of step with the mainstream of this country,” Thune added.
“We’re going to be waiting to see anxiously what Chuck Schumer and other leaders on the Democrat side decide to do.”
Earlier this month, Schumer railed against Republicans for advancing a rescissions package, which allows them to cancel previously approved spending without support from Democrats.
Schumer argued that such a move jeopardizes negotiations over the government shutdown showdown.
“We are doing everything we can to keep the bipartisan appropriations process going,” Schumer told reporters earlier this month. “And they’re undermining it with rescissions, with pocket rescissions, with impoundment and every other way.”
The implication from Schumer is that Democrats can’t trust Republicans to stick to the terms of a bipartisan appropriations deal because they’ve shown a willingness to bypass them via rescissions and presidential impoundment, when Trump decides not to spend certain authorized funds.
On the Republican side, GOP leaders, particularly in the House, have long struggled to get fiscal hawks on board with either a continuing resolution or the 12 appropriations bills. There’s been a strong push from the right flank for deeper cuts to spending, something that is a dealbreaker for Democrats.
Schumer also has to navigate dicey progressive politics. The Democratic establishment was upended last month when Zohran Mamdani bested former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary.
The top Senate Democrat is up for reelection in 2028 and hasn’t said whether or not he will run amid the threat of a challenge from “Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
“Ultimately, keeping the government funded is good for the country, and hopefully we will have bipartisan cooperation to do that,” Thune added.
“If their recent track record is any indication, they’re under a tremendous amount of pressure from that far left wing of the Democrat Party to shut the government down.”
The last partial government shutdown, which lasted 35 days, took place between late 2018 and early 2019 due to a feud between Trump and Democrats over border wall funding.
