Well, well, well—looks like Chuck Schumer finally decided to play ball with Republicans, and predictably, the far-left wing of his party is having an absolute meltdown. After weeks of Democrats posturing about a government shutdown being the “moral” choice to protest Trump and Elon Musk’s spending cuts, Schumer delivered the votes necessary to keep the government running. And just like that, the progressive outrage machine kicked into high gear.
The Senate vote wasn’t even close—62-38 to move forward, with ten Senate Democrats breaking ranks to side with Republicans. The final vote to send the bill to Trump’s desk? 54-46. That’s a whole lot of Democratic senators deciding that a shutdown temper tantrum wasn’t worth the political price. But of course, that hasn’t stopped House Democrats from throwing a fit, because in their world, governing is secondary to grandstanding.
Schumer didn’t come out of this unscathed. House progressives wanted a shutdown as a protest, even if it meant economic chaos. They were hoping to force Trump’s hand, make a scene, and keep the government in limbo as a political stunt. Instead, Schumer read the room and realized that playing chicken with Republicans—and more importantly, with the American people—wasn’t the brilliant move his colleagues thought it was. And now, he’s facing backlash from the same people who demand ideological purity at all costs.
The Democrats who backed the bill—Richard Durbin, John Fetterman, Kirsten Gillibrand, Maggie Hassan, Gary Peters, Jeanne Shaheen, Brian Schatz, and Independent Angus King—are suddenly finding themselves in the crosshairs of the very activists who once championed them. Never mind that they just helped avoid a shutdown that would have disrupted millions of Americans’ lives. No, in progressive circles, the only thing that matters is opposition to Trump and anyone remotely associated with him—even if it means economic self-sabotage.
AOC drops world-salad on Jake Tapper after she throws Chuck Schumer under the bus as he is voting YES on the Continuing Resolution Funding Bill.
“I believe that’s a tremendous mistake. This turns the federal government into a slush fund for Donald Trump and Elon Musk”
It’s… pic.twitter.com/AfZrBMsuKc
— DeVory Darkins (@devorydarkins) March 14, 2025
Of course, the rhetoric was as dramatic as ever. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto warned before the vote that a shutdown would allow Trump and Musk to “cherry-pick” which agencies to shut down. Because, you know, nothing terrifies Democrats more than the idea that their precious bureaucracy might be forced to tighten its belt. Somehow, the possibility of cutting bloated government agencies is worse than shutting down the entire government and leaving millions without paychecks. Makes perfect sense.
Trump, never one to miss an opportunity, took to Truth Social to mock the leftist outrage, congratulating Schumer for having the “guts” to do the right thing. And he’s not wrong—this was probably the smartest move Schumer has made in a long time. The bill maintains 2024 spending levels, adds defense funding, and allocates nearly $500 million to Immigration and Customs Enforcement—something that alone is enough to make progressive activists lose their minds.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson pulled off a rare feat: uniting his party behind the bill while leaving Democrats scrambling. The House passed the measure with only two defectors—one from each party—forcing Senate Democrats into a corner. They could either vote with Republicans or risk taking full blame for a shutdown. In the end, even Schumer knew there was no good way to spin that, so he took the least-bad option.
Last summer, 11 of the 12 appropriations bills passed out of the committee with bipartisan support, and not one of them was put on the floor by Chuck Schumer.
Senate Republicans are cleaning up the mess that Schumer, the Democrats, and Joe Biden left us. pic.twitter.com/Km51Tzd5TC
— Leader John Thune (@LeaderJohnThune) March 14, 2025
Naturally, this won’t be the end of the drama. The progressive wing will continue to rage about “selling out,” demand performative resistance, and insist that anything short of absolute defiance against Trump is unacceptable. But when it comes to actually running the country, even some Democrats have to admit that Republicans had the stronger hand here. And that, more than anything, is what really has the left fuming.
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