Republican senators last week hoped that pressure would push enough Democrats to support a House-passed funding bill and thus end the government shutdown.
But as the shutdown enters its ninth day, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have kept the party together for now, to the surprise of many.
“A lot of people wondered whether we would be bullied again, and we have not been. I think Schumer understands the gravity of this moment,” Sen. Chris Murphy said.
Jeffries and Schumer are presenting a unified front against Republicans, refusing to support the stopgap funding measure passed without any Democratic concessions on health care. They are betting they will win this fight — either in public opinion or at the ballot box — and the majority of their respective caucuses are behind them. They’re also hoping Republicans will blink first in the current standoff.
Democrats have long questioned whether the two men would be able to form an aggressive-enough opposition to President Donald Trump and Republicans. Jeffries, the soft-spoken successor to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is known for being extremely cautious in his coordinated messaging. Schumer has been in Congress for over 40 years and in the Senate since 1999. Liberal groups have pressured Schumer to use this spending fight to hold the line against Republicans, unlike in March when he supported a funding measure to keep the government open.
Schumer has seemingly taken that message to heart.
In a video posted Wednesday, Schumer addressed the shutdown and said there would be “no fucking way” Democrats planned on backing down.
Sen. Dick Durbin, Schumer’s second in command, said: “I think the caucus understands the importance of the issue of health care. [They’re] 100% on board for that.”
Who voters side with won’t be obvious until after the shutdown ends but CBS News released polling on Oct. 5 that showed positive signs for Democrats. Trump and Republicans fared far worse on how the shutdown is being handled, with 52% of people surveyed disapproving. Democrats saw a 49% disapproval rating.
And there are signs Republicans are splintering: Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told CNN Wednesday that Speaker Mike Johnson should call the House back into sessions to negotiate with Democrats on health care.
One House Democrat who criticized Schumer earlier in the year when he voted for the CR in March complimented the way Schumer managed government funding this time around — but was taking a wait-and-see approach.
“This time he’s stood strong because he’s seen how letting the Trump budget through in March didn’t protect anybody. So the proof will be in the pudding, but it seems like he’s held people together this time,” the House Democrat said. “Trump refuses to talk about his signature bill that’s kicking millions of people off of their health care is proof that we have them on the run. And what we need is Democrats to stay united so that we keep Republicans on the run. Once we start fracturing more and more, then we start losing our ability to get our message out.”
The frustration between Republicans and Democrats is palpable on Capitol Hill, with each side hoping the other caves. On Wednesday, Jeffries took the uncharacteristic step to publicly spar with his New York colleague Rep. Mike Lawler about the Republican bipartisan legislation that would extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for a year.
“Do I think we’re handling it well? I think we’re handling as well as we possibly can, dealing with a group of people who do not want to talk to us, who do not want to make life better for the American people,” Rep. Steny Hoyer, who used to be in Democratic leadership, told NOTUS.
Democrats privately acknowledged that both leaders are walking a political tightrope in their response to the shutdown. The Trump administration, alongside congressional leaders Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, have repeatedly blamed Democrats for not compromising or supporting a so-called “clean” stopgap measure that would keep the government open for six more weeks.
Republicans have repeatedly referred to the government shutdown as the “Democratic shutdown,” or more commonly, the “Schumer shutdown,” placing the blame on Democrats for letting the funding lapse.
If Democrats are unable to secure concessions to extend ACA subsidies, which is what they’re fighting for, it could lead to more criticism from the base. But most Democratic lawmakers are not concerned that that’s how this ends.
“I happened to run into Leader Schumer when I was in the Capitol. We chatted for a bit. I said, ‘Be strong.’ I’m sure with that encouragement, he’s going to (do that),” New Democrat Coalition Chair Brad Schneider said Wednesday. “We’re not saying we won’t talk. We’re here to talk. We’re here to find a path with the Republicans and Mike Johnson.”
Jeffries may be in a better position than Schumer to fight off Republican attacks because legislation can pass the House with only Republicans. For any bills to advance the Senate, Republicans need Democrats to break the filibuster.
“I think we’re in a pretty good place where we’re at right now,” Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin told NOTUS. “And having a few people vote differently when they need eight folks doesn’t mean a whole lot.”
When asked about Schumer’s play against Republicans, a person familiar with his thinking told NOTUS that Democrats have been strategizing for months on this funding fight. They continue to feel confident health care is a winning issue.
Some Senate Democrats, especially moderate ones, have internally grappled with the effects of a shutdown and feel pressure to negotiate. The Trump administration froze federal funding in blue states and threatened mass firings of federal workers, as well as withholding pay for furloughed federal workers.
However, none of it has been enough to get Democrats to concede when it comes to a vote on the continuing resolution that Senate Republicans have been putting to a vote nearly every day since the shutdown began.
Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona would not speak to Schumer’s posture but instead referred to his colleagues: “I’ve been satisfied with our whole caucus making sure that we are focused and strong on our messaging to communicate to this country that we’re the party that’s trying to defend the insurance of 24 million people.”
“This isn’t about a strategy. This is about Americans about to lose their health care,” said Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont. “[Republicans] will not talk to us. The House is out of session for its third straight week. What does that tell you about where they’re at? The House isn’t even here.”
Trump summed up the criticism against Democrats, specifically Schumer, in a pointed insult.
“I don’t know if Schumer has any power anymore. I look at your leadership, I don’t know who to speak to,” Trump said Tuesday in the Oval Office.