Democrats might be ready for a shutdown. What do they want?

Here we go again: The government is on the verge of a shutdown, and Democratic votes are needed to keep it open. But congressional Democrats might be happy to let a shutdown happen rather than help Republicans.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer “voted to keep the government open” back in March and “endured furious blowback from the left,” said CNN. This time, he and other Democrats say President Donald Trump’s actions since then “require a hardened approach.” “The vibes are bad,” said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). One Democratic demand is to renew Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. That is a “big red line” for many Republicans, said Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.).

Some congressional Democrats think a shutdown might be necessary to send a message that Trump “can’t continue to steamroll Congress,” said The Hill. A shutdown is “one of the very few levers where we can actually push” Trump, said one anonymous senator. But the party isn’t united. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.) will vote to keep the government open. A shutdown “is never a good idea,” he said.

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What did the commentators say?

Democrats are the “pro-government party,” so shutting down the federal government “goes completely against their brand,” said Jackie Calmes at the Los Angeles Times. But what can Democrats do when the “federal government is wholly run by Republicans” who have already “stripped states, cities, universities and federal programs of funding” that had been approved by Congress? While shutting down government “hurts Americans” who rely on it, the “vulnerable are suffering anyway.” A temporary shutdown is “worth it.”

The idea of forcing a shutdown is “folly” for Democrats, Oren Cass said at the Financial Times. Some Democrats argue that voting to fund the government “would make Democrats complicit in the Trump administration’s conduct.” But the history of shutdowns is that the “side initiating the shutdown lost the fight every time.” Democrats’ poll ratings are already low. Instead of forcing a shutdown, they should “acknowledge their errors and move forward with a fresh agenda.“

Democrats in Congress should “do nothing,” said Chris Brennan at USA Today. Republicans hold majorities in the House and Senate. If the GOP wants “total control in approving how our government is funded,” then Democrats should “let them feel the total consequences as well if the funding runs out.” Democrats are not really allowed to steer the process anyway, so they should stick to the sidelines. “That’s the only power they have, at least for now.“

What next?

The GOP-controlled House on Friday morning passed a stopgap bill to keep government open until Thanksgiving, but the Senate “looks likely to reject it,” said NBC News. Democrats this week unveiled their own proposal, which would extend the Obamacare subsidies and reverse Medicaid cuts made under Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” said The Washington Post. Republican leaders said that will not work. Democrats are “trying to take a hostage” to take actions that “can’t be done on a short-term funding resolution,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.).