参议院民主党领袖查克·舒默(Chuck Schumer)周四晚上宣布，他计划投票保持政府开放，这表明几乎肯定会有足够的民主党投票，在周五关门的最后期限之前推进众议院共和党拨款法案。
在…里评论在参议院，舒默承认政府关门是最坏的结果。
“尽管共和党的法案非常糟糕，但政府关门的可能性给美国带来的后果要糟糕得多。当然，共和党的法案是一个可怕的选择，”他说。“这不是一个干净的CR”或持续的决议，他说。“这是深深的党派偏见。它没有解决这个国家太多的需求，但我认为让唐纳德·特朗普在政府关门中获得更多权力是一个糟糕得多的选择。”
舒默认为，共和党人应该为“把我们带到灾难边缘的”霍布森选择负责。
“除非国会采取行动，否则联邦政府将在明天午夜关闭。我说过很多次，政府关门没有赢家。但肯定有受害者:最脆弱的美国人，他们依靠联邦项目养活家人，获得医疗保健，并保持经济运转。
他断言，关闭政府的决定将赋予唐纳德·唐纳德·特朗普总统和他的高级顾问埃隆·马斯克太多的权力，无法在没有酌处权的情况下继续削减联邦工作人员。
“关闭将给予唐纳德·特朗普和埃隆·马斯克全权委托，以比他们现在更快的速度摧毁重要的政府服务。舒默说:“在政府关门的情况下，特朗普政府将完全有权将整个机构的项目视为非必要的人事，休假的员工没有承诺他们将被重新雇用。”“简而言之:关闭谷歌将让唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)、埃隆·马斯克(Elon musk)和多吉(DOGE)拿到这个城市、这个国家和这个国家的钥匙。”
知情人士告诉ABC新闻，周四早些时候，舒默在闭门午餐会上告诉他的民主党同事，他将投票为众议院共和党拨款法案的最终通过扫清道路。
此举将为共和党以简单多数通过该法案扫清道路。
在政府拨款截止日期即将到来之前，参议院民主党人闭门造车，保持沉默。
民主党参议员塔米·鲍德温在离开每周午餐时说:“党团会议上发生的事情，就留在党团会议上。”
“问别人吧，”民主党参议员科里·布克抱怨道。
“我无可奉告，”伊丽莎白·沃伦说。
多个消息来源告诉美国广播公司新闻，几名民主党人私下承认，他们可能没有足够的票数来阻止共和党人提出的将政府资金维持到9月份的提案。
在这次秘密会议上，紧张的气氛表露无遗。参议员柯尔斯顿·吉利布兰德(Kirsten Gillibrand)大声嚷嚷着政府关门的影响，记者们隔着墙都能听到她的声音。
一位不愿透露姓名的民主党人告诉美国广播公司，“两周前，我们输掉了这场选举...我们应该已经敲了一个月的鼓了。”
在这一点上，只有民主党参议员约翰费特曼公开表示，他将投票保持政府开放。
费特曼坚称，他不会屈服于他从党领导人那里看到的姿态，此前他敦促共和党人在民主党控制上议院的时候保持政府开放。
“永远，永远，永远，永远，永远不要关闭政府，”费特曼周四下午在国会大厦告诉记者。“民主党人、共和党人、无党派人士，任何人。永远不要关闭政府。这是我们的核心责任之一。”
费特曼称政治压力是“辛辣的”——他告诉记者，他仍然“一贯”坚持自己的原则信念，不会投票支持政府关门。
费特曼承认，共和党人“鼓励”民主党人关闭政府，但这位新民主党人担心，休假工人和依赖联邦服务的人是“真正会受到伤害的人”
既然共和党人已经在众议院通过了他们的法案，费特曼说他相信战斗已经结束。
费特曼说，民主党唯一有影响力的时候是共和党需要众议院的选票。
“共和党兑现了承诺，这有效地解决了这个问题。这迫使我们说，'你是要关闭政府，还是要投票给一个有缺陷的共和党?'现在对我来说，我拒绝关闭政府。"
舒默周三表示参议院民主党人不会提供选票共和党人需要推进众议院批准的协议，为政府提供资金，直到9月。相反，舒默提出了一个月的权宜之计，让拨款者有更多的时间来谈判和完成全年的拨款法案。
与此同时，如果政府关门，共和党人和白宫正在先发制人地指责民主党人。
“如果它关闭，这纯粹是对民主党人来说，”总统唐纳德·特朗普周四在椭圆形办公室会见北约秘书长马克·吕特时回答记者提问时说。
特朗普被问及他是否会介入与民主党人的谈判，他说如果共和党人要求，他会这样做:“如果他们需要我，我会100%在那里。”
Schumer announces he'll vote to keep government open, likely avoiding shutdown
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer announced Thursday night that he plans to vote to keep the government open, signaling that there will almost certainly be enough Democratic votes to advance a House GOP funding bill before a shutdown deadline at the end of the day Friday.
Inremarkson the Senate floor, Schumer conceded a government shutdown is the worse outcome.
"While the Republican bill is very bad, the potential for a shutdown has consequences for America that are much much worse. For sure, the Republican bill is a terrible option," he said. "It is not a clean CR" or continuing resolution, he said. "It is deeply partisan. It doesn't address far too many of this country's needs, but I believe allowing Donald Trump to take even much more power in a government shutdown is a far worse option."
Republicans, Schumer argued, are to blame for a "Hobson's choice" that "brought us to the brink of disaster."
"Unless Congress acts, the federal government will shut down tomorrow at midnight. I have said many times there are no winners in a government shutdown. But there are certainly victims: the most vulnerable Americans who rely on federal programs to feed their families to access medical care and to stay financially afloat," Schumer said.
A decision to shut down the government would give President Donald Donald Trump and his senior adviser Elon Musk too much power to continue their federal worker cuts without discretion, he asserted.
"A shutdown would give Donald Trump and Elon musk carte blanche to destroy vital government services at a significantly faster rate than they can right now. Under as shutdown the Trump administration would have full authority to deem whole agencies programs an personnel nonessential, furloughing staff with no promise they would ever be rehired," Schumer said. "In short: a shut down would give Donald Trump Elon musk and DOGE the keys to the city state and country."
Earlier Thursday, Schumer told his Democratic colleagues during a closed-door lunch that he would vote to clear a path for final passage of a House-GOP funding bill, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
That move would clear the way for Republicans to pass the bill with a simple majority.
Senate Democrats remained tight-lipped after huddling behind closed doors ahead of the fast-approaching government funding deadline.
"What happens in caucus, stays in caucus," Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin said as she left the weekly lunch.
"Ask somebody else," Democratic Sen. Cory Booker grumbled.
"I don't have any comment," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Several Democrats have privately admitted they likely don't have the votes to block a Republican proposal to keep the government funded through September, multiple sources told ABC News.
Tensions were on full display at the private meeting. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was yelling so loudly about the impact of a shutdown that reporters could hear her through the walls.
One Democrat who spoke on the condition of anonymity told ABC News, "We lost this two weeks ago ... we should've been beating this drum for a month."
At that point, only Democratic Sen. John Fetterman had publicly signaled he would vote to keep the government open.
Fetterman insisted that he won't succumb to the posturing he sees from party leaders after he urged Republicans to keep government open in the past when Democrats controlled the upper chamber.
"Never, ever, ever, ever, ever shut the government down," Fetterman told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday afternoon. "Democrat, Republican, independents, anyone. Never shut the government down. That's one of our core responsibilities."
Fetterman called the political pressure "spicy" -- telling reporters that he's remaining "consistent" in his principled belief not to vote for a shutdown.
Fetterman acknowledged that Republicans "are daring" Democrats to shut down the government, but the freshman Democrat worried that furloughed workers and people depending on federal services are the ones who are "really going to hurt."
Now that Republicans cleared their bill through the House, Fetterman said he believes the battle is over.
Fetterman said the only time Democrats have leverage is if the Republicans need the votes in the House.
"The GOP delivered, and that effectively iced this out. And that forces us to say, 'Are you going to shut the government down, or you are going to vote for a flawed CR?' And now for me, I refuse to shut the government down."
Schumer on Wednesday saidSenate Democrats would not provide the votesneeded for Republicans to advance the House-approved deal to fund the government through September. Instead, Schumer proposed a one-month stopgap measure to allow more time for appropriators to negotiate and complete full-year funding bills.
Republicans and the White House, meanwhile, are preemptively pointing the finger at Democrats if a shutdown ensues.
"If it closes, it's purely on the Democrats," PresidentDonald Trumpsaid as he took reporter questions while meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office on Thursday.
Trump was asked whether he's step in to negotiate with Democrats and he said he would if Republicans requested it: "If they need me, I'm there 100%."
