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DOGE fears divide Dems
19 March 2025
When Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reversed his position on the budget bill to vote for the Republican continuing resolution for the budget, he not only ceded one of the few tactics Democrats have in a Republican-controlled Congress but he ignited a fury within part of his own party. If Democrats united against the bill, it would have caused a government shutdown and given them more leverage to negotiate with Republicans in Congress and the White House. However, with the current spate of government cuts via the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Schumer determined, “A government shutdown gives Donald Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE almost complete power” because they can use the time to quickly determine almost any government service is non-essential and, therefore, shut it down.
He was joined by eight other Senate Democrats and one independent who caucuses with them to vote for the bill, which President Trump soon signed. However, other key voices in the Democratic Party, from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to former speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, decried the decision. Rep. Alexandria Orcasio-Cortez called the move a “huge slap in the face” as some Democrats are calling for her to run against Schumer for his New York Senate seat in 2028.
The growing rift among Democrats is happening as party approval hits record lows. An NBC News poll says that only 27% of registered voters have a positive view of the party, the lowest number recorded since the poll began 35 years ago. Democrats have failed to develop a cohesive approach to counter President Trump, but the unified cohort reacting to Chuck Schumer is sparking comparisons to the 2009 rise of the Tea Party amongst Republicans. While the Tea Party was always small in terms of numbers, it significantly altered the trajectory of the Republican Party. Perhaps this new movement within the Democratic Party will do the same.
Mari Koeck
Director, Engagement and Impact
Image: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) at the US Capitol on 14 March 2025
(Credit: Kent Nishimura for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
"One chops off one of your fingers, the other chops off your arm."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on The View explaining why he avoided shutdown | 18 March 2025
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United States Studies Centre
Institute Building (H03)
University of Sydney NSW 2006