Democrats face non -winning options: closes the government or enable Trump

Senate Democrats are in a situation of not winning.

With less than two days until a possible closure of the federal government, they face two options: whether it supports a republican plan to maintain the open government and give away its first leverage since President Donald Trump assumed the position. Or force a closure that many concerns would only lead to deeper cuts to the Federal Labor.

“You have two things that are really abhorrent. When you reach that level, it is difficult to classify each other. That is why it is a difficult decision, “says Democratic Senator John Hickenloper of Colorado.” Both are such great evils. “

Why do we write this

On March 14, a government closure could occur if the Chamber and the Senate cannot agree on a bill. After the Chamber approved a bill with basically only Republican votes, Senate Democrats face a difficult set of options, without good options.

The Republicans of the House of Representatives approved a bill on Tuesday that would keep the government open until September, while delivering more power to President Trump to change the funds, reduce real national expenditure and punish the Columbia district by forcing the city to make deep expenses cuts despite the fact that its budget is financed by the local money of taxpayers.

Democrats are outraged by the provisions and face fierce demands of their base to do something, anything, to face Mr. Trump while he and billionaire Elon Musk cut the government’s workforce. But if they force a closure from 12:01 am on Saturday morning, many worry that it will be counterproductive. The Trump administration will be in charge of implementing this closure, which means that it will determine which workers are “essential” and must continue working without paying, and which can be sent home. And as the Government Efficiency Department (Doge) cuts a wide strip through the Federal Labor Force, the Democrats care, that could make it even easier for the administration to fire people, while blaming them.

The Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland talks with the members of the media at the Washington Capitol on March 12, 2025.

While Republicans have often taken advantage of the closure of the government, or their threat, to extract the important victories in policies in the last decade, more, the Democrats, such as the most propgubernational party, have been much more reluctant to do so. The only exception came early in Mr. Trump’s first mandate, when the Democrats triggered a brief closure about immigration problems before folding quickly. But this time, it is not clear what happened would better protect government employees and work they do. The Trump administration is already reducing programs and the personnel to the left and the right. And this is one of the few moments in which the Democrats have some real power.

The confrontation occurs as the Trump administration continues its generalized and potentially illegal evisceration of the federal government. Although the Senate Democrats were discussing the least terrible path, the Department of Education announced that it was dismissed in the middle of its workforce, 1,300 employees, the last of a series of deep government cuts not authorized by Congress. Until now, the Trump administration, helped by the Dux team that Musk has fired tens of thousands of government workers in several agencies, and is pointing out even deeper cuts to come.

The Democrats left the latest in a series of long and tense lunch meetings on Wednesday, of which high voices could be heard in the halls, with a simulation of a strategy: they would demand vote to extend government funds at the current levels for a month, giving time to appropriate to resolve a longer extension.

“Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate” to approve the bill of the Republican Chamber, said Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer, Wednesday afternoon on the Senate floor.

But the measure of the Democrats seems to be more a face savings effort than one that could really work. If enough Democrats vote to consider the draft Chamber’s Law, and its amendment, then it fails, as it seems likely, Republicans can approve it without democratic votes. Both parties expect Democrats to be more likely to allow the Republican bill to approve.

Senate Republicans have scheduled a procedural vote for Friday. They will probably need eight Senate Democrats to vote with them to advance. As the deadline approached, some Democrats who often support bipartisan measures indicated that they are not interested in helping.

Senator Hickenlooper told the monitor on Wednesday afternoon that he thought that both options ran more easily so that President Trump and Musk “drive his agenda” to reduce the federal workforce. But he announced on social networks that night to oppose the bill of the Republican party and risk a closure of the government was the least bad option.

The Senator of Virginia Mark Warner, one of the most moderate and bipartisan members of the Senate reached the same conclusion. Senator Warner also represents a state with a large number of federal government workers, and for a long time he has been a supporter of Washington, DC, just over the river from his state. On Thursday morning, he published a video declaring that he would not vote to allow the Republican Plan to continue, saying that it was a “free” and “petty” attack against DC and would cause damage to neighboring Virginia. He also said he would refuse to “deliver the keys without restriction to Trump and Musk.”

Democratic senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania speaks with journalists at the Washington Capitol, on March 12, 2025. Senator Fetterman has said he plans to vote for the Republican bill.

The only Democrat who has publicly committed to vote for the Republican Plan is the senator of Pennsylvania John Fetterman. Despite his unhappiness with some of the republican provisions of the bill, he says that a closure would damage the Americans more and exploit the faces of the Democrats. He predicted that “it will not spend much before (the Democrats) begging” to reopen the government.

The Democrats of the House of Representatives made the opposite calculation. All but a Democrat voted against the Republican Party Plan earlier for the week. Many expressed their frustration that their Senate counterparts did not show the same collective collective.

New York Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, told the monitor: “I hope they do not,” when he was asked how he wanted Senate’s Democrats to vote on the Republican Plan.

“This creates a mass background for Donald Trump (Y) Elon Musk,” she says. “I think it’s irresponsible. Eliminate any of the railings to ensure that these funds that appropriate are spent responsible. I don’t think it’s correct. ”

They are not only progressive as the Ocasio-Cortez representative who wants his colleagues in the Senate to oppose the bill.