Republicans accuse Dems of wanting ‘Schumer shutdown’ as spending bill vote looms
Senate Republicans are increasing pressure on Senate Democrats as the deadline for a vote on the House-passed stopgap spending bill approaches, warning of a potential government shutdown and dubbing it a “Schumer shutdown.” Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma emphasized that if the government shuts down, it will be on the Democrats, specifically Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Majority Whip John Barrasso echoed this sentiment in an op-ed for Fox News, stating that any shutdown would be driven by the Democrats. The House recently passed a short-term spending bill that would maintain current spending levels until October 1st, but if a new bill is not passed by Friday, a partial government shutdown will occur.
Senator Schumer argued for a “clean” monthlong stopgap bill, but Republicans are adamant about moving forward with the House-passed bill. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona expressed confidence in the votes for a 30-day CR, but Republicans are questioning the Democrats’ sudden reluctance to support the bill they previously voted for.
Senator Mullin criticized Schumer for not bringing all appropriations bills to the Senate floor in the last Congress and accused Democrats of delaying negotiations on a spending deal. Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee accused Democrats of wanting a shutdown, while Senator Bill Hagerty urged Democrats to join Republicans in keeping the government running.
Votes on the stopgap bill are expected to take place on Thursday, with the possibility of skipping routine procedural votes if an agreement is reached between the two parties. The pressure is mounting as the deadline looms, and the fate of the government funding hangs in the balance.
