Congress is once again confronted with the threat of a government shutdown, primarily due to House Democrats not taking action when they had the chance. The spending bill, largely crafted by House Republicans, incorporates moderate spending cuts while preserving essential government functions. Nevertheless, leading Democrats like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi are now pressuring Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to reject the bill, despite not making any effort to negotiate changes while it was still in the House.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been notably ineffective throughout this process. Instead of advocating for amendments, engaging in negotiations with House Speaker Mike Johnson, or offering viable alternatives, Jeffries relied on rhetoric, repeatedly warning that Medicare and Medicaid were under threat. However, when the bill was released to the public, it became clear that these claims were misleading. Medicare and Medicaid were not cut, yet Jeffries continued to promote a narrative unsupported by facts. There is no evidence that he sought to meet with Republican leadership to champion Democratic priorities. After failing to influence the bill in the House, he now expects Schumer to take the blame.
READ: House Passes Budget Bill: No Cuts to Medicare or Medicaid, No Loss of Coverage
Nancy Pelosi’s portrayal of the bill as a “devastating assault” on working-class Americans misrepresents the facts. The bill does not eliminate Medicare or Medicaid, and it does not defund vital social programs. Instead, it continues funding for hospitals serving low-income communities, assures the ongoing Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital payments, and maintains support for housing and nutrition programs. While it does not increase funding for these services, it also does not dismantle them. Pelosi’s exaggerated claims appear to focus more on political theater than an honest assessment of the bill’s provisions.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has taken an opportunistic stance, urging Schumer to block the bill despite not making any effort to amend it in the House. If she truly believed this bill was harmful, she had every chance to advocate for changes before its passage. Instead, she stayed silent when action was possible and now calls for drastic measures when options are much more limited. Her sudden outrage seems more about political posturing than genuine concern for policy.
Schumer now faces an impossible choice. If he rejects the bill, the government will shut down, and Democrats—who control both the White House and the Senate—will bear the blame. Historically, shutdowns tend to harm the party in power, and Republicans will argue that they passed a bill to keep the government running while Democrats refused to lead. Conversely, if Schumer allows the bill to pass, progressive Democrats will accuse him of yielding to Republican demands, even though their inaction in the House is what enabled this situation to arise in the first place.
A government shutdown would harm working-class Americans far more than the spending cuts in the bill. Federal workers and military personnel would go without pay, Social Security and Medicare payments could experience processing delays, and essential services like food assistance and housing programs could be disrupted. The very people Pelosi and Ocasio-Cortez claim to defend would suffer the most from a shutdown. Their effort to kill the bill is self-defeating, as it risks causing greater hardship than the spending constraints they oppose.
Schumer’s best move is to pass the bill, keep the government running, and prepare for future negotiations when Democrats will have more leverage. Rejecting the bill now does not guarantee better terms; it only hands Republicans greater control over the next round of budget discussions. House leadership’s failure to negotiate earlier in the process has already weakened the Democrats’ position, and trying to delay the bill in the Senate will only worsen the situation.
House Democrats, especially Jeffries, Ocasio-Cortez, and Pelosi, failed to engage in meaningful negotiations, refused to present alternatives, and allowed the bill to pass the House without seriously attempting to amend it. Now, they expect Schumer to torpedo it at the last minute, jeopardizing government stability for political grandstanding.
As a Democrat, I find it frustrating to witness this kind of dysfunction. The independent vote ultimately decides the presidency, and if I can see through this political theater, there’s no doubt independent voters can too. All Democrats need to do is speak the truth, engage in discussions, and navigate the political process. But when they refuse to participate, it raises questions: Are they incapable of negotiating? Do they not understand how? Or are they simply unwilling to do so unless they are in power?
Currently, after struggling to lead, House Democrats are criticizing a senior senator like Schumer, who truly understands how Washington operates. If House Democrats want to have an impact on legislation, they need to take charge of shaping bills before they reach the Senate. Schumer should disregard their last-minute pressure campaign and pass the bill, ensuring that the government stays open and functional.
