Senate Democrats Cave Again, Will Support $13 Billion Dollars In Border Security

Copper · 03:28 PM

Quote:

Senate Democrats say the six-month government funding resolution that passed the House Tuesday is a “horrible” bill, but there’s growing sentiment within the Senate Democratic conference that it would be too risky to block the legislation and risk a government shutdown that could drag on for weeks.

Senate Democrats battled behind closed doors Tuesday over how to handle the House bill, with a number of Democrats — especially those in swing states — arguing a government shutdown must be avoided, even if it means reluctantly voting for a House GOP-drafted bill.

Several centrists warned there’s no clear endgame for ending a government shutdown if Democrats defeat the House-passed measure, which would increase defense spending by $6 billion, boost funding for border security and cut nondefense programs by $13 billion.

The bill passed the House 217-213 Tuesday afternoon, with only one Democrat voting in favor. But the political calculus is different for Democrats in the Senate, because their votes will be needed to avoid a shutdown.

Senate Republicans control 53 seats and would need at least eight Democratic votes to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a staunch fiscal conservative, says he would vote against the stopgap measure for not doing enough to cut the deficit.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said he will vote to keep the government open, even if he’s not a fan of the House-passed funding stopgap.

“I’ve been very clear: I’m not going [to] vote or withhold my vote that’s going to shut down the government,” Fetterman told The Hill.

“For me, if the Democrats think that they want to burn the village down to save it, that’s terrible optics and that’s going to have serious impacts for millions and millions of people,” he warned. “I’m never going to vote for that kind of chaos.”

Sen. Angus King (Maine), an independent who caucuses with Democrats, warned that tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is leading President Trump’s effort to downsize government, could use a government shutdown to pressure more federal workers to retire.

“We’re dealing with people — many of whom I suspect think a shutdown would be a good thing, and they could prolong it and use it to expand the president’s power even beyond what they’re already considering. So that’s something that has to be considered. This isn’t normal,” King warned.

King didn’t say how he would vote on the six-month House-passed stopgap but signaled he’s worried about the potential outcome if Senate Democrats defeat it.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said Democrats have limited leverage to shape the continuing resolution Congress needs to pass to avoid a shutdown.

“I think it’s important to recognize that Republicans have the majority in the House and the Senate, you know that, the White House. They’re already shutting down parts of the government. I’m really concerned about that,” he said.

Kelly also warned against adding to the chaos in Washington while Musk wages his budget-cutting war against federal agencies and Trump fights a trade war with Canada and Mexico.

“Elon Musk is firing veterans. He’s going to continue to do this. We’re in a very challenging economic time; Donald Trump, the decisions he’s made on tariffs, is destroying the economy. This is complicated,” he said.

Kelly said he would have preferred if Republican and Democratic negotiators had reached a deal on the stalled fiscal 2025 appropriations bills and criticized Republicans for walking away from bipartisan negotiations.

Senate Democrats spent well more than an hour debating how to proceed at their weekly caucus lunch meeting in the Lyndon Baines Johnson Room just off the Senate floor.

“The conversation today was divided. I can’t say we have a strategy,” said a Democratic senator who requested anonymity to comment on the internal deliberations. “There are a lot of people who haven’t made a decision.”

The lawmaker said Democrats are worried they would get the blame for a shutdown if they voted to defeat the House bill. The House is out of session for the rest of the week, upping the pressure on Senate Democrats.

“The CR is a terrible bill … but a shutdown has terrible consequences,” the source added. “Elon Musk is trying to shut down the government. If we shut down the government, it takes the blame away from him and it puts the blame on us for chaos and confusion.”

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) declined to comment about what he and his colleagues discussed in private.

Asked why the meeting dragged on for so long, Schumer joked, “The food was so good, everybody had triples.”

Schumer didn’t talk about the government funding fight when he spoke on the floor Tuesday morning.

Senate Democrats said they would continue to discuss their options Wednesday.

“We haven’t made a final decision. We’re still talking about it,” Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said of how Democrats will handle the pivotal vote.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) warned that Democrats would bear full responsibility for shutting down government if they block the House bill.

“Without action from Congress, the government will run out of funding come Friday,” he said. “Here we are on the brink of a government shutdown, which will be of entirely of the Democrats’ making if it happens.

“It takes 60 votes in the Senate to pass an appropriations bill, so we’re going to need some Democrats to vote for it,” he said.

Government funding is due to lapse at the stroke of 12 a.m. Saturday.

Other Senate Democrats say the House-drafted legislation is “horrible,” comparing it to a “dumpster fire.”

“Make no mistake: The entire bill the House is voting on today is House Republicans’ own doing — and it is a dumpster fire. So, I am here to sound the alarm about that fire before it spreads,” Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said on the Senate floor.

Murray urged Senate colleagues to instead pass a short-term continuing resolution to give negotiators a few more weeks to reach a deal on an omnibus spending package.

She argued the House will would cut Army Corps of Engineers projects to protect against floods and hurricanes by 44 percent and do nothing to address the $280 million shortfall in the National Institutes of Health budget.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), whose state is home to approximately 140,000 federal workers, called the House-passed stopgap a “horrible” but stopped short of saying he would vote against it.

“It’s a bad bill. I can’t imagine why Republicans would be signing up for a bill that slashes VA construction and food safety. We’ve got an avian flu epidemic,” he said. “The bill is horrible.”

Several vulnerable Democrats declined to say how they will vote on the measure once it comes over from the House.

“We will see what comes out of the House and I will carefully assess what I think is in my state’s and the nation’s best interests,” said Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), who is up for reelection next year.

Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) told reporters after the Tuesday lunch meeting that Democrats had a “robust conversation” about how to handle the House-passed funding bill.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/senate-de...100000067.html

Copper · 03-12-2025, 02:40 PM

If this is what the Democratic party is going to do, then you'd have to be a complete idiot to continue supporting them. First the Laken Riley act, and now $13 billion dollars for border security with no solutions for DACA? This is absolutely outrageous!

DogJuiceMan · 03-12-2025, 03:28 PM

Democrats are so weak right now. The Republicans would get the blame for a shutdown. Say you are not voting for it to protect social security, Medicare, and federal workers.

It's so frustrating seeing democrats lie down in front of the steam roller when they could be winning instead. Year after year, we'll fix immigration This time! Trust us!

Snatching defeat from victory.

Copper · 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DogJuiceMan

Democrats are so weak right now. The Republicans would get the blame for a shutdown. Say you are not voting for it to protect social security, Medicare, and federal workers.

It's so frustrating seeing democrats lie down in front of the steam roller when they could be winning instead. Year after year, we'll fix immigration This time! Trust us!

Snatching defeat from victory.

I have been expressing this sentiment since the elections. However, in this forum, you are not allowed to hold Democrats accountable because people either get their feelings hurt or accuse you of being a racist.

All the Dreamers supporting the Democratic party need to reflect on what they are truly supporting. Are they supporting another 10, 15, or 20 years of lies?

You're telling me that it's been 25 years since 2000 when the Dream Act was first introduced and there's still no solution to this issue, yet people continue to support this party? It's time to wake up and realize the truth!

vft1008 · 04:41 PM

That article was from early this morning.
In the last hour Schumer said the Rs do not have enough votes in the Senate for the continuing resolution budget.

Republicans are not united.

A Republican-Trump shutdown coming.

vft1008 · 05:13 PM

Keep up with the news, people. Here's the video of Schumer from the last hour:
https://x.com/MAGALieTracker/status/...uTqo1E90g&s=19

He's implying that since the Rs did not get any input from Ds, they will not get the support or votes they need in the Senate.

I expect some posts from some of you blaming the Dems once the government shuts down. LOL <3
"But the Democrats!" You guys are insufferable.

DogJuiceMan · 03-12-2025, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Copper

I have been expressing this sentiment since the elections. However, in this forum, you are not allowed to hold Democrats accountable because people either get their feelings hurt or accuse you of being a racist.

All the Dreamers supporting the Democratic party need to reflect on what they are truly supporting. Are they supporting another 10, 15, or 20 years of lies?

You're telling me that it's been 25 years since 2000 when the Dream Act was first introduced and there's still no solution to this issue, yet people continue to support this party? It's time to wake up and realize the truth!

Fact is we have no where to go and the dems realize we are a captive audience. Voting republican doesn't help, that just enables the current situation. Face it. We don't matter politically because we have no votes.

Copper · 03-12-2025, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DogJuiceMan

Democrats are so weak right now. The Republicans would get the blame for a shutdown. Say you are not voting for it to protect social security, Medicare, and federal workers.

It's so frustrating seeing democrats lie down in front of the steam roller when they could be winning instead. Year after year, we'll fix immigration This time! Trust us!

Snatching defeat from victory.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DogJuiceMan

Fact is we have no where to go and the dems realize we are a captive audience. Voting republican doesn't help, that just enables the current situation. Face it. We don't matter politically because we have no votes.

At this point, there is nothing left to lose by not supporting them. It is ironic that the only immigration reform that has been passed was done so by Republicans, not Democrats.

I firmly believe that if Republicans were to enact some form of immigration relief, it would be detrimental to the Democrats. I am almost certain that Dreamers would not vote for the Democratic party.

Latinos used to support Democrats because of their commitment to immigration reform that would benefit their loved ones. However, Democrats have consistently failed to deliver on this promise for decades.

It's been 25 years! When do you finally say "enough is enough"? When your DACA status is revoked, your job is gone, your home is lost, maybe even your marriage. What will it take for you to stand up and take action?

Got_Daca · 03-12-2025, 10:05 PM

Remember how GOP offered DACA legalization for $20bln border reinforcement?

Now Dems taking $13bln up their asses without any reach around.

beingoflight · 03-13-2025, 01:57 AM

this is FANTASTIC news for DACA really, shows that the demonrats are bending over to everything pretty much, which means a DACA bill has a high chance to pass now.

good good demonrats, keep up that attitude.

They need you!

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Senate Democrats Cave Again, Will Support $13 Billion Dollars In Border Security