Schumer must treat Trump like the threat he is. Not help him thwart a shutdown. | Opinion
The Democratic messaging for nearly a decade has been that Trump is a danger to democracy, and that America will collapse because of his rise to power. If that's true, they should be acting like it.
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer proved once again that Democrats don’t have what it takes to stand up to Donald Trump’s dismantling of the United States government. Disappointment is an understatement.
Schumer announced he would be voting in favor of the funding extension, helping Republicans avoid a government shutdown set to take effect if the Senate fails to approve the bill Friday. He explained his decision on the Senate floor Thursday, reasoning that the consequences weren’t worth the risk.
"While the CR bill is very bad, the potential for a shutdown has consequences for America that are much, much worse," Schumer said. "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."
Schumer, my representative in Congress, is one of the most powerful Democrats in the country. If this is his vote on the extension, other Democrats will likely follow suit, voting for a bill that, among other things, gives Trump’s administration more power over the purse strings.
Democrats don't seem to be paying attention to what Trump is doing
I understand not wanting to push the United States further toward a recession, but Schumer has a responsibility to set the tone for the party’s resistance to Trump. If the Trump agenda is truly as bad as Democrats have been saying, Schumer should take a stand and vote against the extension – or at least make Republicans work a little harder to get the votes they obviously need.
Again, Trump is dismantling the federal government. He is pressing culture war issues while telling his constituents that he isn't ruling out the possibility of a recession. He's allowing Elon Musk, the unelected leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, to terrorize the federal workforce. The last two months of shocking changes should not go unchallenged and Democrats are still pretending this is all business as usual.
It's not.
Thankfully, some liberals are speaking out against Trump's nonsense
I’m not the only liberal upset about this. All but one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, voted against this extension in the House. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke out against Schumer’s decision on "The Lead" with Jake Tapper, saying that the resolution codifies the current chaos Trump and Musk are inflicting on the public.
“To me, it is almost unthinkable why Senate Democrats would vote to hand the few pieces of leverage that we have away for free, when we’ve been sent here to protect Social Security, protect Medicaid, and protect Medicare,” she told Tapper.
She’s right – this is one of the few things Republicans need Democratic votes for. If the Democrats would leverage this power and use it to slow the dismantling of the government, they could then point to Republicans for giving Trump the power to do whatever he wants.
The Democratic messaging for nearly a decade has been that Trump is a danger to democracy, and that America will collapse because of his rise to power. If that’s true, they should be acting like it.
When we look back on the second Trump administration, I fear many of us will ask the question “why didn’t Democrats stop this?” Democrats could challenge the public perception of them as “weak” if they would just take a stand and do something to stop the wrecking ball Trump and Musk are taking to the federal government.
Follow Paste BN columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter, @sara__pequeno