In the first real showdown since the election, Senate Democrats seem poised to give President Donald Trump and Elon Musk everything they want while pretending to oppose the Republican spending bill. The proposed maneuver would allow Democrats to feign opposition to the new administration’s power grab, while also giving the GOP enough votes to push their agenda through.
Senate Republicans do not have enough votes for cloture, a legislative procedure to end debate and move for a vote. Republicans only have a 53-47 seat majority, and 60 votes are needed to invoke cloture. If Democrats don’t provide enough votes for cloture, the government is almost certainly headed toward a shutdown Friday.
Despite promising a fight, Senate Democrats are reportedly considering a vote swap. In exchange for providing enough votes to end debate on the GOP spending bill, Senate Republicans would allow a Democratic amendment to continue to fund the government at current levels for the next month to come to the floor, known as a continuing resolution, or CR. The Democratic amendment is almost certain to fail.
Democrats opposed to the GOP bill would then be allowed to vote “no” on the broader spending bill, allowing them to seem like they’re voting against the GOP measure despite providing the needed support to bring it to the floor. Democrats have criticized the GOP plan, which would give Musk and Trump more power to slash the federal government and also cut $1 billion from Washington, D.C.’s local budget.
Nina Smith, a Democratic strategist, said this kind of wheeling and dealing is exactly why Americans have lost faith in the party.
“What has been so detrimental to the Democratic Party brand is exactly the sort of threading the needle that we’re seeing here,” said Smith. “We really have to focus that energy and use it in a way that’s very strategic so that we rebuild the trust of the American people because they don’t trust us, and it’s [because of] this sort of doublespeak, backroom deals.”
“Democrats weren’t elected to put up a fake fight.”
Some Democratic lawmakers have called out these plans, arguing that Democrats weren’t put in office to pretend to fight.
“Some Senate Democrats are being tempted to pretend to fight the Trump-Musk funding bill today, then quietly agree to give up on blocking it,” wrote Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, in a statement to The Intercept. “That would be a disastrous decision. Voting for cloture on a bill that allows Musk and Trump to steal from taxpayers is the same as voting to allow Musk and Trump to steal from taxpayers. Everything is on the line. Democrats weren’t elected to put up a fake fight.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., also weighed in, arguing that voters wouldn’t be fooled. “I hope Senate Democrats understand there is nothing clever about setting up a fake failed 30-day CR first to turn around & vote for cloture on the GOP spending bill,” wrote Ocasio-Cortez on X. “It won’t trick voters; it won’t trick House members. People will not forget it.”
Even Senate Democrats who support passing the spending measure have called out party leadership for “performative resistance.”
“The weeks of performative ‘resistance’ from those in my party were limited to undignified antics. Voting to shut the government down will punish millions or risk a recession. I disagree with many points in the CR, but I will never vote to shut our government down,” posted Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., on X.
Republicans have also called out Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., agreeing with Fetterman that this is bad political theater.
“[Fetterman] is absolutely correct, because you got to remember when it was Leader Schumer, he had all seven bills sitting on his desk since January 31,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told The Intercept. “He chose not to bring up one spending bill. And now, he wants us to believe he’ll do it in 30 days. It’s not going to happen.”
Smith, the Democratic strategist, argued that part of what’s happening here is leadership acting as if it’s business as usual in Washington. “There’s a tension and a struggle between the way folks know how to do things in Washington and the reality we’re seeing on the ground,” said Smith. “I think Democrats aren’t exercising the only power they have, and that sucks, but I think there’s also room for us to get creative and think differently about how to do these things.”