Australia and the World Past and Present

Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, has voted to help pass a crucial funding bill put forward by Republicans.

In doing so he has drawn fire from fellow Democrats.

Schumer described his decision as having to choose between a bad option and an even worse option.

Schumer explained that he was concerned about triggering a federal government shutdown.

When the federal government shuts down, the executive branch of government has the ability to declare which government services and considered ‘essential’ and which are not.

In the first few months of Trump’s second presidency, we have already seen his administration take action to dismantle federal government agencies such as USAID.

These actions have taken place while the legislature is sitting as normal.

Schumer is concerned that if a government shutdown eventuates, the Trump administration would have more of a free hand to eliminate many more programs and agencies.

He envisaged a shutdown that could last as long as six to nine months.

He suggested that Medicaid could be declared non-essential.

He also alleged that funding for community health centers could be on the chopping block.

Clearly, Schumer took no pleasure in voting to support the Republican funding bill, but was of the opinion that a government shutdown would be even worse.

Fellow senior Democrat, Nancy Pelosi, criticised Schumer’s decision saying “I myself don’t give away anything for nothing. And I think that’s what happened the other day.”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also joined in the pile on.

It is not surprising that some Democrats went after Schumer.

They are playing to their base.

They want to appear that they are fighting Trump tooth and nail.

They want to show that they are maintaining some kind of Democrat moral purity.

Schumer argued that as a senior Democrat, he had a responsibility to ensure that the denial of funding did not lead to a government shutdown where Trump could have a freer hand to reconstruct federal government.

All recent evidence suggests that Schumer probably made the right decision.

Trump and DOGE are pushing hard to carry out a reconstruction of the federal government.

It seems clear that if they have an inch, they will take a mile.