Group of Dems Continue To Side With Republicans, Want Govt. Reopened
A once-solid Democratic front in the U.S. Senate began to fracture this week as three Democrat-aligned senators broke ranks to support a Republican proposal to reopen the federal government, now in its seventh day of shutdown under President Donald J. Trump’s second term.
The prolonged standoff — triggered by Democrat opposition to separating health care funding from the broader spending package — has left thousands of federal employees furloughed and facing the prospect of missed paychecks, intensifying pressure on both parties to reach an agreement.
Just days ago, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) had urged his caucus to “fight” to preserve Affordable Care Act subsidies, a sticking point Democrats insist must remain part of any funding deal. But the party’s resistance began to splinter Tuesday when Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Angus King (I-ME) — an Independent who caucuses with Democrats — sided with Republicans in favor of a clean spending bill, according to Politico.
Several rounds of voting have so far produced a 55–45 tally, leaving Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) just five votes shy of the 60 needed to advance the measure.
Fetterman has supported the Republican plan from the start, warning against turning the government shutdown into a partisan weapon.
“Shutting our government down isn’t a ‘game.’ Democrat or Republican, regardless of the reason— America loses. ‘Blame’ is on anyone that picks party over country,” Fetterman posted on X Friday.
Cortez Masto initially criticized the GOP’s approach, claiming Republicans had “created a health care crisis.” But by Tuesday, she reversed course, saying Democrats were wrong to prolong the shutdown at the expense of working Americans.
“President Trump and Congressional Republicans are already hurting Nevadans who are dealing with high costs, an economic slowdown, and a looming health care crisis. This administration doesn’t care about Nevadans, but I do,” she wrote on X.
“That’s why I cannot support a costly shutdown that would hurt Nevada families and hand even more power to this reckless administration. We need a bipartisan solution to address this impending health care crisis, but we should not be swapping the pain of one group of Americans for another.”
Meanwhile, King — known for occasionally siding with Democrats on spending issues — said voting with Republicans was “one of the most difficult” choices of his Senate career.
“I did not want to hand Donald Trump and Russell Vought and Stephen Miller additional power to decimate the federal government, to decimate the programs that are so important to so many people,” King said in a video message on X.
The only Republican to oppose the spending bill was Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who has consistently pushed for deep spending cuts and a balanced budget.
As the shutdown dragged into a second week, President Trump indicated his administration is prepared to make permanent reductions in federal staffing and programs if Democrats refuse to cooperate.
Speaking from the Oval Office during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump told reporters that layoffs could begin within days if the impasse continues.
“I’ll be able to tell you that in four or five days. If this keeps going on, it’ll be substantial, and a lot of those jobs will never come back,” Trump said. “You’re going to have a lot closer to a balanced budget.”
Asked about potential program cuts, Trump replied bluntly:
“Oh, sure. We have a lot, I’m not going to tell you, but we’ll be announcing it pretty soon. But we have a lot of things that we’re going to eliminate and permanently eliminate.”
The president’s remarks signal that, unlike past shutdowns, the administration may use the standoff to shrink the size of the federal bureaucracy permanently — a move consistent with Trump’s broader effort to “drain the swamp” and rein in Washington’s entrenched spending habits.
With moderate Democrats breaking ranks and the White House signaling no retreat, the coming days will determine whether the Senate reaches a deal — or whether the showdown becomes a turning point in Trump’s broader push for fiscal reform.