Schumer Threatens To Shut Govt Down Amid Fury From Base
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, will have to deal with a political test this fall when Congress meets again. Lawmakers will be debating a new funding bill to keep the government open.
With President Donald Trump in his second term, Democratic voters across the country are getting more and more upset with what they see as Congress’s weak response to his plan. Democrats in Congress don’t have a majority in either the House or the Senate, so they can’t stop his plans from going through. However, people have asked them to take stronger action.
In March, Schumer got a lot of negative feedback from Democrats when he didn’t block a stopgap bill led by Republicans that was meant to keep the government open. Schumer and eight other Democrats voted for a motion to allow discussion on the bill, but in the end, they voted against passing it. Democratic critics say that vote, on the other hand, let it get past the filibuster and become law.
They have until October 1 to pass a set of bills that will pay the government until the end of fiscal year (FY) 2026. Republicans have narrow majorities in both houses, with a 219-212 edge in the House and a 53-47 edge in the Senate.
This is a problem for both parties. For example, Republican leaders will have to find a way to please both moderates in split districts and conservatives who support the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement.
However, Democrats like Schumer will be put to the test as they try to please Democratic voters while also working with Republicans to get some changes made to the bills.
IIn March, Democrats from all factions were frustrated that Schumer and other Democrats were advancing the spending bill despite Republicans not taking any actions to secure his support, which critics claimed would result in cuts to important programs. Democrats have asked Schumer to run for office again or step down as party leader, but he has refused to do either.
Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, also a New York Democrat, sent a letter to GOP leadership urging a meeting to “discuss the need to avert a painful, unnecessary lapse in government funding and to address the healthcare crisis Republicans have triggered in America.”
This comes as Democrats are in serious trouble.
The Democratic Party is grappling with a stunning collapse in voter registrations as Republicans surge nationwide, fueled by President Trump’s expanding political coalition.
According to a New York Times analysis of registration data from L2, a nonpartisan firm that tracks voter rolls, more new voters registered as Republicans than Democrats for the first time since 2018.
The shift comes after the 2024 election, when Trump expanded his reach among men, younger voters, and Latinos, reshaping traditional assumptions about partisan loyalties.
The data paints a sobering picture for Democrats. “Of the 30 states that track voter registration by political party, Democrats lost ground to Republicans in every single one between the 2020 and 2024 elections — and often by a lot,” the Times report said.
The net effect was a 4.5 million-voter swing: Democrats shed about 2.1 million registrants, while Republicans gained 2.4 million.
Even in states long considered reliably Democratic, the erosion has been evident. California, one of the largest blue states where voters declare party affiliation, saw significant Democratic losses.
By contrast, many Republican-led states such as Texas do not track partisan registration, meaning the overall national picture may underestimate GOP strength.
Still, the available numbers show a dramatic narrowing of the Democratic advantage. In the 30 states and Washington, D.C., that require voters to register by party, Democrats’ 11-point lead over Republicans in 2020 fell to just over six points in 2024.
Michael Pruser, director of data science for Decision Desk HQ, told the Times the trend has been relentless. “I don’t want to say, ‘The death cycle of the Democratic Party,’ but there seems to be no end to this,” Pruser said. “There is no silver lining or cavalry coming across the hill. This is month after month, year after year.”
The Republican gains have been particularly notable in swing states where partisan registration data is available.
Trump Warns Iran of ‘Total Obliteration’ if They Try To Harm Him HH
President Donald Trump warned Iran that continued assassination threats made by leaders in Tehran would be met with the country getting “blown up” and “total obliteration.”
“Well, they shouldn’t be doing it but I’ve left notification,” Trump said. “Anything ever happens, we’re going to blow the whole — the whole country’s going to get blown up.”
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Biden-era Intelligence officials briefed Trump about the alleged threats against him during his presidential campaign in 2024. Former Attorney General Merrick Garland said the plot was retaliation for the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani by the U.S. in 2020, during Trump’s first administration.
Despite being briefed by his administration, Trump on Tuesday said President Biden “should have said something” on the matter, adding that presidents should defend each other on such matters.
“But I have very firm instructions,” Trump continued. “Anything happens, they’re going to wipe them off the face of this earth.”
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Trump also spoke about the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran in Geneva.
“What are you expecting from these Iran talks in Geneva?” a reporter asked Trump aboard Air Force One.
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“So, I’ll be involved in those talks indirectly, and they’ll be very important. We’ll see what can happen. Typically, Iran’s a very tough negotiator; they’re good negotiators — or bad negotiators. I would say they’re bad negotiators because we could have had a deal instead of sending the B2s to knock out their nuclear potential. We had to send the B2s. I hope they’re going to be more reasonable. They want to make a deal,” Trump said.
“Have you been told that a deal is next to impossible?” the reporter followed up.
Trump replied, “No. I think they want to make a deal. I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal. They want to make a deal.”
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Trump previously said that he instructed officials to destroy Iran if they killed him.
The president said this after signing an executive order right after taking office that gave him all the tools he needed to talk to Iran’s government and put as much pressure on Tehran as possible.
“They haven’t done that and that would be a terrible thing for them to do,” Trump said at the time. “Not because of me — if they did that, they would be obliterated. That would be the end. I’ve left instructions, if they do it, they get obliterated, there won’t be anything left. And, they shouldn’t be able to do it.”
Trump warned last week that the United States could send additional warships toward Iran if ongoing diplomatic negotiations fail to produce a deal, signaling that military pressure could increase as talks over Tehran’s nuclear program stall.
In remarks to Axios, Trump said the administration is considering deploying a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region in addition to the USS Abraham Lincoln and 9 additional warships already positioned near Iran, though he expressed hope that a diplomatic agreement can still be reached.
“Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” the president told Axios on Tuesday, a reference to the bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites in June.
“Last time they didn’t believe I would do it. They overplayed their hand,” Trump added. “We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going.”
The president emphasized that the United States is seeking to persuade Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions, halt the development of its ballistic missile program, and end support for militant proxy groups. Iranian officials have so far resisted expanding negotiations beyond nuclear-related issues.
He described the nuclear issue as a “matter of course” part of any negotiation, but also insisted that an agreement with Iran must also address Tehran’s ballistic missile stockpiles, per Axios.
Trump said the US “can make a great deal with Iran,” and Tehran “very much wants to make a deal.”
Trump’s comments came ahead of a planned visit to Washington, D.C. by Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to press for a tougher U.S. stance and broader terms for any Iran deal that would include constraints on Tehran’s missile capabilities and regional activities.
Before heading to DC, the Israeli leader previewed some of what he and Trump were going to discuss.
“I will present to the president our understanding of the principles of the negotiations (with Iran) – the essential principles that are important not only to Israel – but to everyone who wants peace and security in the Middle East,” Netanyahu told reporters, per the New York Post.
The administration has already bolstered its military presence in the Middle East, with multiple warships and aircraft deployed as a means of deterrence and leverage.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
