Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer is threatening to risk a government shutdown at the end of the month if Republicans do not meet Democrat demands on health care and spending.
The move marks a sharp reversal for Schumer, who earlier this year sided with Republicans to keep the government open and faced fierce backlash from Democrats for doing so, Newsmax reported.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Schumer said the situation is now different than it was in March.
“Things have changed” since that earlier vote, Schumer said.
He argued that Republicans have since passed President Donald Trump’s tax breaks and spending cuts legislation, which included cuts to Medicaid and other programs, and that Democrats are now unified — unlike in the spring, when his vote angered the party’s base.
Schumer said he and House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries are now united in opposing any government funding bill that does not include key health care provisions and a guarantee those provisions will not be rolled back.
The new line from Schumer reflects a willingness to endure a shutdown rather than compromise on the party’s demands.
A shutdown, he said, would not necessarily worsen tensions with the White House, which he described as already hostile.
“It will get worse with or without it, because Trump is lawless,” Schumer said.
Republicans are considering a short-term stopgap measure to keep the government running past Sept. 30.
But Schumer said Democrats will not go along unless the plan includes health care protections and a commitment to keep foreign aid funding in place.
Republicans insist Democrats will bear responsibility if the government closes, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has said repeatedly that Schumer must put forward a concrete health care proposal if he expects a deal.
Thune pointed to the looming expiration of expanded tax credits for health insurance purchased through the Affordable Care Act and said some Republicans are open to extending those credits before they expire at the end of the year.
But Schumer and Democrats want more than that. They are also demanding that Republicans roll back the Medicaid cuts passed as part of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” on tax breaks and spending.
In addition, Democrats want assurances that the White House will not claw back money already approved by Congress.
The Trump administration blocked $4.9 billion in foreign aid in August and earlier pushed through a $9 billion cut requested by the White House in July.
“How do you pass an appropriations bill and let them undo it down the road?” Schumer asked.
The demands come as partisan tensions in the Senate are worsening. Negotiations between the two parties over the confirmation process broke down again on Thursday, and Republicans have moved to change Senate rules to get around Democratic objections.
Schumer’s position now stands in stark contrast to his March vote, when he supported legislation to keep the government open and said a shutdown would give Trump even more control.
“I did what I thought was right” in March, Schumer said. “It’s a different situation now than then.”
At that time, Schumer said there was “no off-ramp” once a shutdown began, and he framed voting with Republicans as the lesser of two bad options.
But the move left him isolated within his party.
The majority of Senate Democrats opposed the bill, and Jeffries quickly distanced himself, saying House Democrats “will not be complicit.”
The backlash was fierce, with activists calling on Schumer to resign. This time, however, Schumer and Jeffries are presenting a united front.
At a closed-door lunch with Senate Democrats on Wednesday, Schumer shared polling that he said shows most Americans would blame Trump — not Democrats — for a shutdown.
Schumer is betting that with Democrats more unified and with the White House under pressure, his threat to risk a shutdown will strengthen his hand in negotiations.
