Senate Democrats can use the filibuster to block a GOP spending bill and avert a government shutdown at the end of September. A Republican trifecta in Washington limits Democratic options, making the filibuster the only meaningful leverage point. Prior concessions by Democratic leaders generated grassroots anger and an image of party disarray. The White House has pursued executive actions and budget-reconciliation paths that bypass the filibuster. OMB Director Russell Vought has asserted a controversial "pocket rescission" power to halt congressionally authorized spending near fiscal-year end so funds expire without congressional approval. That claim raises constitutional and oversight concerns. Negotiations will test whether Democrats deploy filibuster power or seek compromise.
Despite considerable tough talking and saber rattling, this spring Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer wound up working overtime to secure the votes to pass a Republican spending bill and keep the federal government open until the end of September. Schumer's "cave" made him the object of widespread grassroots Democratic rage as it was seen as the epitome of party leaders' fecklessness. His House counterpart Hakeem Jeffries escaped much of the opprobrium for the simple reason that House Democrats obviously had no power to block the spending measure via a filibuster and thus no ability to facilitate its passage by supporting a procedural motion to bring it to the floor. But the perceived strategic split between the two New Yorkers just added to the overall impression of "Democrats in disarray," a favorite media narrative for all seasons.
Now September has arrived, and at the end of the month all but the most essential federal government functions will close unless Congress and the president agree on some kind of spending bill. Once again, Democrats will have the rare power to thwart the GOP with a Senate filibuster. It's their only real leverage point given the Republican trifecta in Washington and Trump's ability to get what he wants via executive power grabs and budget-reconciliation legislation (like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) that can't be filibustered. The chronic Trump misconduct that made a government shutdown back in March seem logical to so many Democrats has unquestionably gotten worse. Most recently, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought has claimed the right to cancel congressionally sanctioned spending via a novel (and quite possibly unconstitutional) devise known as a "pocket rescission," whereby the president puts a hold on spending for selected programs close to the end of the fiscal year so that it can expire without any congressional action.
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