By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-03-12 23:16:31 | Updated at 2025-03-13 06:08:16
6 hours ago
US Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said his party would block a spending bill to avert a government shutdown on Saturday and urged Republicans to accept a Democratic plan to provide a month of interim funding instead.
Schumer’s declaration Wednesday raised the stakes in an ongoing game of chicken between congressional Republicans and Democrats and appeared to heighten the risk of a shutdown at a time financial markets are hypersensitive to new disruption.
US stocks have been whipsawed by President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariff threats and fears that consumer and business uncertainty are already a drag on the US economy.
Yet it is unclear whether Schumer can muster support from moderate Democrats to carry out the threat, much less sustain a blockade over an extended shutdown – which could cause political blowback and hurt already embattled federal workers.
“Republicans do not have the votes,” Schumer said on the Senate floor on Wednesday, laying down Democrats’ stand on the House-approved legislation.
In the Senate, 60 votes are needed to cut off procedural hurdles and Republicans only have 53 senators in the chamber.
