Schumer calls “Trump shutdown” and criticizes Republicans in dispute over budget spending

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., blamed former President Trump and Republicans for a possible partial government shutdown after the House failed to pass a stopgap spending measure on Wednesday.

He filed the cloture measure on Thursday in a procedural move to act as quickly as possible once the House of Representatives passes a Continuing Resolution (CR), a short-term measure to stabilize spending levels.

“With today's filing, I am giving the Senate maximum flexibility to prevent a shutdown,” Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor. Since he filed the bill earlier, a vote on an upcoming CR could also take place earlier.

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“Democrats and Americans don't want a shutdown under Trump,” he said, mentioning Trump's name for a possible partial shutdown. “I would venture to say that most Republicans – at least in this chamber – don't want a shutdown under Trump. And the American people certainly don't want their elected representatives in Washington to bring about a shutdown just to satisfy Donald Trump's claims, when it's clear he doesn't even know how the legislative process works.”

The New York Democrat decided to file the bill after the Republican-backed CR motion introduced by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) failed by a vote of 202 to 220, with two members of his party voting present. Nine Republicans also voted against the six-month interim budget, which included a measure requiring proof of citizenship to vote. Three Democrats voted for it.

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Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson brought a six-month CR containing the SAVE Act to the vote. (Getty Images)

To prevent a partial government shutdown, lawmakers must pass a CR before early October.

While Republicans in the House and Senate have called for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to be included in a budget bill, Schumer and Democrats have made it clear that they are not prepared to agree to a package that includes what they consider a “poison pill.”

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Senator Mike Lee (Republican of Utah) is a vocal supporter of the SAVE Act. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump spoke out clearly on the budget spending dispute, writing on Truth Social: “If Republicans do not fully enforce the SAVE Act, they should not agree to a continuation resolution in any way.”

Schumer sharply criticized the former president in his speeches in the plenary, asking: “How can anyone expect Donald Trump to be president when he knows so little about the legislative process? He is challenging Congress to stop working.”

He further demanded that “our Republican colleagues should not blindly follow Donald Trump.”

John Thune, RS.D., the Senate Minority Whip, responded to Trump’s post on Wednesday, telling reporters: “I can tell you one thing: I don't think it benefits anyone politically to have a government shutdown so long before the election.”

In his statement after the failed vote in the House of Representatives and several times during his speech in the plenary, Schumer referred to a possible partial shutdown of the government as a “Trump shutdown,” suggesting that Democrats want to blame the presidential candidate and Republicans if a shutdown does ultimately occur.

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Former President Trump urged Republicans not to accept anything other than a CR in conjunction with the SAVE Act. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republicans have privately expressed concern that a possible partial shutdown would reflect poorly on the Republican Party, and in a more negative light than on the Democrats.

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Senator Thom Tillis, R-N.C., recently told reporters he didn't think Republicans had much influence in the CR debate. He also claimed, “I don't think Chuck Schumer cares one bit about shutting down the government, as long as you can blame the Republicans.”

“And if the government is shut down, Republicans will be blamed,” he predicted.