Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is facing backlash from within his own party after he said he would back a Republican-led stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown, 24 hours after he said he wouldn’t.

Why It Matters

Democrats are facing intense pressure to push back against the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Trump ally Elon Musk, which has been gutting long-established federal agencies and removing thousands of government employees from their positions.

But Schumer’s support for the stopgap bill means backing a budget that fails to include any restrictions on Trump and Musk’s efforts to dismantle federal agencies and overhaul government operations. It is still unclear if other Democrats will vote for the bill. Schumer’s reversal on the stopgap bill underscores growing tensions within the Democratic Party over legislative strategy and leadership.

What To Know

Schumer said on Thursday on the Senate floor that he would back a vote to advance the continuing resolution (CR) bill when it comes up for a vote on Friday.

He added that the choice between the bill and a shutdown is “no choice at all,” but that the shutdown would be “a far worse option.”

“A shutdown would give Donald Trump and Elon Musk carte blanche to destroy vital government services at a significantly faster rate than they can right now,” he said. The Republican-backed government funding bill, recently passed by the House, proposes to fund federal operations through September 2025, thereby averting an immediate government shutdown.

But Schumer’s decision is now facing backlash from Democrats. New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told CNN on Thursday that Schumer’s decision to vote for the continuing resolution is a “mistake” and that she hopes any Democrats who are considering voting for the bill will “reconsider” their decision.

“This is generally not about Democrats and Republicans. This is about deep cuts to Social Security. Medicare, Medicaid. This is about the evisceration of the federal government, this is about codifying the looting that is happening at the behest of Elon Musk in order to pay for his tax breaks for billionaires, and we have a responsibility to stand up to it,” she said.

Ocasio-Cortez also told reporters: “I think it is a huge slap in the face, and I think that there’s a wide sense of betrayal.”

Meanwhile, Representative Sean Casten compared Schumer to former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who was widely criticized for his strategic use of the filibuster to block Democratic legislation and judicial appointments.

Representative Jim McGovern also chimed in, expressing frustration over enabling Musk’s influence, while Representative Ro Khanna called Democrats’ reluctance to challenge Trump’s authority “craven” and urged them to fight back instead of giving in.

Indivisible’s co-executive director Ezra Levin and MeidasTouch’s Ron Filipkowski dubbed Schumer’s move the “Schumer surrender.”

In an interview with Politico, Joel Payne, chief communications director at MoveOn, added that Schumer’s decision is “pretty disappointing,” emphasizing that it reinforced concerns among Democratic activists about Schumer and other party leaders’ ability to effectively combat a more aggressive, second-term Trump.

“I think it does say a little something about whether or not these folks truly understand the fight that we’re in right now,” Payne said. “And I think that’s a question that a lot of folks are asking.”

Other Democrats were more magnanimous about Schumer’s decision. “I don’t think he had a choice,” Democratic National Committee member Joseph Paolino Jr. told Politico, adding that Democrats “don’t have any cohesive plan. They don’t have a strategy. They don’t have any clear direction where they want their … opposition to go.”

Following Schumer’s Senate speech, Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey confirmed in a post on X that he will not vote for the stopgap bill. “I don’t want a shutdown but I can’t vote for this overreach of power, giving Trump and Musk unchecked power to line their pockets,” he wrote.

Senators Mark Warner and Chris Van Hollen, also said that they were voting against the short-term spending bill in videos posted to social media. Senator Mark Kelly also plans to vote against the continuing resolution.

“I cannot vote for the Republican plan to give unchecked power to Donald Trump and Elon Musk. I told Arizonans I’d stand up when it was right for our state and our country, and this is one of those moments,” he said on X.

Senator John Fetterman did not say how he was voting, but he told Fox News: “Any party should never shut the government down.”

He added that it would be “a gift for the Republicans” for Democrats to block the House-passed CR. “In fact, if anything, I think, they’re effectively daring us to do that,” he said.

The stopgap bill proposes cutting government spending by $7 billion compared to last year. To achieve this, it reduces funding for non-defense programs by $13 billion while increasing defense spending by $6 billion.

However, the bill does not include additional budget cuts proposed by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

This funding bill also only covers discretionary spending, which makes up about one-third of the federal government’s $6.75 trillion annual budget. It does not affect mandatory spending programs like Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid, which are the government’s largest expenses and contributed 40 percent of last year’s spending increase.

But critics say that the stopgap bill does not affect long-term funding challenges for these programs. There are also fears that the lack of restrictions of cuts to discretionary spending means the stopgap bill could allow the Trump administration to cut administrative expenses at the agencies responsible for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

What People Are Saying

Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor: “I believe it is my job to make the best choice for the country to minimize the harms to the American people. Therefore, I will vote to keep the government open and not shut it down.

“Trump has taken a blowtorch to our country and wielded chaos like a weapon. For Donald Trump, a shutdown would be a gift. It would be the best distraction he could ask for from his awful agenda.”

New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told CNN: “think that that would be a mistake. But we have we have time between now and tomorrow, and I hope that individuals that are considering that reconsider it, I genuinely do. I don’t think it’s what New Yorkers want. I don’t think it’s what the country wants.”

Illinois Representative Sean Casten said on X: “McConnell abused the filibuster to make America worse. Schumer is refusing to use the filibuster to… accomplish what, exactly?”

Massachusetts Representative Jim McGovern told Politico: “Extremely disappointed. It gives them the ability, Elon Musk the ability, to go through and continue to do the shit he’s doing.”

California Representative Ro Khanna said on X: “Democrats unwillingness to stand up for Congress‘s constitutional right to prevent Trump from unilaterally shutting down social security offices or firing veterans is craven. If we’re afraid of blame, we need to get better at persuasion—not rolling over.”

Ezra Levin, the co-executive director of the liberal grassroots organization Indivisible, told Politico: “I guess we’ll find out to what extent Schumer is leading the party into irrelevance,” he said in an interview, adding that his decision “tells me maybe he’s lost a step.”

MeidasTouch editor-in-chief Ron Filipkowski said on X: “When you are so afraid of Trump calling you Shutdown Schumer that you willingly accept Surrender Schumer as your legacy.”

What Happens Next

It is still unclear if the legislation will pass when the Senate takes up the bill on Friday. Republicans hold a 53-47 seat majority and need 60 votes to move forward, meaning the bill needs Democrat support.

If Democrats fail to vote for the bill, the government will shutdown at midnight Friday.