Politics No budget blockade in the USA? Democrat gives in
In the USA, a potential government shutdown may still be averted at the last minute. The Democratic minority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, who had recently announced his party's opposition to a Republican budget bill, relented and argued that a so-called government shutdown would only play into the hands of US President Donald Trump.
14.03.2025, 07:05
SDA
Trump and his confidant, tech billionaire Elon Musk, wanted a "shutdown" to create further chaos and distract from their agenda, Schumer wrote in a guest article for the New York Times. "We shouldn't give them one," warned the highest-ranking Democrat in the Senate. A government shutdown would above all harm families in the country. Schumer also emphasized that he would respect other senators voting against the Republican budget bill in order to push the president's party to change course.
The House of Representatives had previously passed a Republican draft for a transition budget. However, the Senate has yet to approve it. If no new budget is passed by Saturday night, the government will run out of money: As a result, state institutions would have to stop working in some cases and many state employees would not receive a salary for the time being.
Schumer's zigzag and disunity among the Democrats
Schumer had previously announced that the Democrats in the Senate had agreed to reject the Republicans' draft budget by the end of September. Instead, he brought up a budget solution for an initial 30 days. However, Schumer has now rowed back.
The Republicans do have a majority in the 100-member Senate with 53 seats. However, at least 60 senators must agree in this chamber of Congress in order for the budget bill to be put to a vote at all. This requires a few votes from Democrats. It remains to be seen how many senators will follow Schumer's reasoning and achieve the necessary majority.
There is much controversy among the Democrats in the chamber as to how the party should best proceed. Some see blocking the budget as a means of resisting Trump's course in government. However, a government shutdown, which would ultimately be felt by ordinary citizens, is not very popular with the population.
