When President Donald Trump announced last week he wanted Congress to “pass a clean, temporary government funding Bill,” that should have dropped the chances of a federal shutdown to near zero.
After all, shutdown threats tend to get driven by conservative hard-liners intent on cutting spending — and who better than Trump to pull them in line and keep the government open?
So it’s quite a testament to how dramatically Trump has shaken up Washington over the past six weeks that the likelihood of a shutdown hasn’t abated. In fact, according to my reporting, it might actually have increased.
This time, it’s Democrats who are itching for a fight — over the Department of Government Efficiency cuts that Trump has blessed and deputized mogul Elon Musk has gleefully carried out.
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Democrats
Serious
I’m sure we’ll see a shutdown, but that was still a funny joke
How many signs will they hold up this time?
Oh no! They’ll send another strongly-worded letter! Better lookout, Trump!
Eh a shut down is more than a strongly worded letter at least.
Are we taking about the same lame ass Democratic leadership that sat down with stupid ass ping pong paddles and kept speaking about searching for bipartisanship?
Yeah, sure this will happen and I’m going to find a job in Canada at age 40+, and move.
I thought the paddles were genius myself. What is it you would have done specifically at the presidents talk. no apples to oranges as the paddles were a thing for his speech and helped fight their willingness to throw folks out.
Ha. No they won’t. They scared.
This is your only real leverage, dems
Shhhh. They’ll notice and cave.
Oh people, they already did. We just don’t know yet
I fucking dare them to. The monicker “Do Nothing Democrats” turned out to be true. The last six weeks have been the worst five years of our lives.
Name one meaningful thing they could have done as the minority in both chambers of Congress besides raise awareness and hope the voters do better in 2026. I’ll wait.
They could have not voted for his nominees and fought every single one with mountains of procedural bullshit.
They could have charged the treasury building instead of standing politely outside.
They could have all been thrown out for protesting his speech. They could have thrown literal rotten tomatoes at him. FUCKING ANYTHING would be better than this shit.
In Europe they would have thrown shoes at him. You can go through all the metal detectors in the world, but you’ll still have 2 shoes. Just sayin.
Lol I was thinking of that as well. Exactly. If you can’t rise yourself to the level of shoe throwing at the bare minimum, wtf are you even doing?
That’s all meaningless theater.
Politics is largely just theater given substance - it’s a rhetorical pursuit.
What makes a theater performance meaningless is when the audience doesn’t appreciate what is being said.
Or are a bit too slow to keep up.
When DOGE infiltrated the Department of Education, several Democratic congresspeople, with media circus in tow, went to the DoE building but were stopped by a single skinny man, with no uniform, who produced no ID, and claimed to be security hired by Musk. A toddler could have pushed past him. Instead, they gave up and left.
Some Republicans have been having meetings with constituents. Why not crash the meetings? Ask hard questions. Make the republicans answer or show them running like cowards.
The left is desperate for new blood and new leadership. So, after the election, the DNC circled the wagons, and gave us… Hakeem Jeffries. Picking leadership that actually inspires people, instead of putting the same bland ghouls up on a pedestal, might actually get people to pay attention. Instead it feels like they have no plan other than to wait out the storm and turning to the same old playbook that’s made them lose to Trump. Twice.
Last night, Al Green was the only representative that spoke out during the speech. The rest of the Democrats either stood silently, or held tiny signs like Wile E. Coyote in the most pathetic, childish, display of resistance I’ve ever seen. Imagine instead if there was a string of constant interruptions as they all walked out, one by one.
So yes, there is actually quite a lot they could do besides “raise awareness and hope voters do better in 2026.” Saying there’s nothing they can do is serving bullshit and claiming it’s sirloin. Trump has signaled that the rules of law do not apply, so maybe start bending or breaking those rules? They have left it up to the people to protest. I haven’t seen a single member of the DNC calling for action. Why should the left be motivated to protest if our leaders won’t even acknowledge us, let alone stand with us?
Democratic congresspeople, with media circus in tow, went to the DoE building but were stopped by a single skinny man, with no uniform, who produced no ID, and claimed to be security hired by Musk. A toddler could have pushed past him. Instead, they gave up and left.
This seems like such an easy thing to get by. Get a random to walk up next to the other “guard” and say “yes we both got hired by Musk, but I just got word we can let you in.”
Oh what do you mean that other guy isn’t a real ‘guard’? You both have the same credentials. Matter of fact the second guard could claim the first one got fired and to ignore them.
Right?
If you’re a US Congressperson, way to deal with some random security guard hired by Musk blocking you from entering the Department of Education is to tell them you’re a sitting US Congressperson, and that you’re entering that building, and if they accost you or your associates in any way, shape, or form, you’ll be bringing the full force of the law (as in, actual US code, not some dipshit hired by eel-on-musk) down on their head. And then you enter the building.
A knock on the noggin with an ornate walking stick would have been fine too.
For the department of education, weren’t there armed guards visible just inside the building? They still should have done something, but it was a bit more then one guy.
Name one meaningful thing
Here’s a whole list
Some stuff from your link
Republicans can’t pass a spending bill without Democrats but they’re trying to ram through a MAGA budget disaster that slashes essential programs, attacks basic rights, and enables the Trump-Musk coup.
They can pass that budget without Democrats. They’re going to use Reconciliation like the Democrats did under Biden. So this one is moot. Also in this point they talk about how the Democrats just have to refuse to vote for a bill that cuts the social programs. Which they have. So both moot and already done.
Deny a quorum to completely freeze Senate business. If Republicans don’t have 51 votes on the floor, Democrats can walk out, preventing the Senate from doing anything at all.
What? The Republicans have 53 senators. As long as each one is there they can still do whatever they want. This one just doesn’t make sense.
Refuse to give an inch. Block every unanimous consent request and force the GOP to waste precious time on every single step of the process.
This one is actually dead on and something that should happen.
So basically the article you linked has 3 ways the Democrats can fight back. The first way is something they’re already doing, refusing to vote for a budget that cuts programs. But also the point is moot because it says they need Democrats to pass the MAGA budget but they don’t. So that point doesn’t work. The second is also moot because the Republicans have 53 senators and will be able to do stuff if the Democrats are there or not. And the third is actually an option they can do.
So your article has 1 possible action while acting as if the Democrats aren’t already doing another one of these. The article is saying they will gladly vote for a budget that cuts the programs despite the Democrats saying they won’t.
Fighting back includes delay tactics and blanket opposition. There is division among Republican Representatives, it’s critical to take advantage of that. All three are applicable. Maximum obstruction is the name of the game.
Weaponizing Quorum Calls: No Majority, No Business
Most of the time, Senators are not on the Senate floor. But technically, the Senate is not allowed to conduct official business unless a majority of senators (51 if all seats are filled) are present. That’s called a quorum, and it’s the foundation of Senate procedure. If a quorum isn’t present, the Senate grinds to a halt. The friendly thing to do is to NOT ask if there is a quorum - that’s how MOST business moves forward in the Senate. But Senate Democrats can use their power in the minority to call for a quorum and cause massive disruptions by constantly demanding quorum calls and even walking out to deny Republicans the ability to govern.
Blocking Unanimous Consent: Every Action Must Take the Maximum Time
Unanimous consent is the grease that keeps the Senate moving. Normally, the Senate runs on handshake deals—routine matters like scheduling votes, moving bills forward, or skipping over procedural steps all happen only if no senator objects. That’s called unanimous consent (UC)—and if even one Democrat objects, it forces the Senate to go through long, time-consuming processes to get anything done.
For House Democrats
https://indivisible.org/resource/explainer-how-house-democrats-can-delay-and-defy-trump-musk-coup
1. Procedural Hardball to Slow Down the Coup
Force roll call votes on everything—Republicans must go on record for every bad decision. Use motions to recommit to force Republicans to take difficult votes. File privileged resolutions to demand immediate consideration of issues Republicans want to avoid. Leverage parliamentary inquiries and points of order to disrupt floor proceedings and expose GOP dysfunction.2. Show Up and Fight in Committees
Put Republicans on the record about their harmful policies. Force votes when GOP members are absent to either force something through or force every Republican member to be in their seats the entire time. Make motions to subpoena officials and demand transparency. Expose MAGA extremism in real-time.3. Investigate and Expose MAGA Sabotage
Demand hearings on Trump’s and Vought’s plans to override federal spending. If Republicans refuse to hold real oversight hearings, Democrats must take matters into their own hands. That means holding shadow hearings—bringing in experts, impacted communities, and whistleblowers to expose how MAGA elites are trying to loot the government and rig the system for billionaires. These hearings should be public, media-driven, and designed to put pressure on Republicans to defend their corruption in the light of day. Publicize findings to show voters exactly how MAGA elites are trying to loot the government, and while Republicans are covering for the Trump-Musk coup, Democrats are fighting to stop it.4. Take the Fight to the Public
Host Town Halls: Update voters on how Democrats are fighting back. Adopt GOP Districts: Hold town halls in Republican-held areas to expose GOP sabotage and talk directly to their constituents. Engage Online: Mobilize voters with digital content that names names and pulls no punches.
Hopefully, in the 2026, 2028 and 2030 congressional elections, Democrats will gradually gain seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
For now, all they can do is be cautious to prevent Trump and his company from using them to their advantage.
Do it. Demand zero subsidies for Elon.
Are they going to count down from three before they do it, so we know they mean it this time?
Democrats don’t usually force shutdowns because the people most likely to suffer under a shutdown are federal, state, and local government employees, people who work in academia, and people in major metropolitan areas, all of whom make up a significant portion of the Democratic base. It doesn’t make sense to force a shutdown if your own voters are just going to blame you for the disruption it causes to their lives anyway.
Now there’s far more to lose, and Trump is going to get the blame for it. Shutdown for a few weeks to protect a few hundred thousand federal workers for at least a year is a pretty safe gamble when you’re not likely to get blamed for the short-term disruption anyway.
Of course I get all that but I will not believe them until they actually do it.
I am straight up calling the Dems cowards who lack the balls to do anything bold at all.
I am willing and hopeful to believe I am overly cynical but dang, look at that track record.
To your first point, there is a high likelyhood that the GOP will defund the programs the Dems want to keep anyway, or they will get DOGEd after the fact.
They can not expect promises to maintain social safety nets to be kept, so why bother trying to work with the right, let them get a taste of their own obstructionist excriment.
As a federal employee, we’re pretty safe during a shutdown these days. As long as we have direct deposit for our paychecks through them, USAA and the like (military/federal banks and credit unions) have our backs. Back pay is (currently, by law) guaranteed when the furlough ends. Main health insurance continues uninterrupted, still have to pay out of pocket for dental and vision (not really bank breaking tbh)
https://www.usaa.com/inet/wc/ent-gov-shutdown-assistance-landing-mkt
Bring it the fuck on and put the screws to them.
Why do they need funding? FElong has saved the government trillions by now.
Anarchists too. Make sure the police and prisons are all shutdown too. Just keep EMS on payroll.
How about getting serious about using force if Trump attacks an ally or annexes other countries territory? Draw that fucking line in the sand now before this goes any further.
This is tone deaf, but I guess after so much yelling from trump, how can anything be heard clearly
Good. Shut it down. And don’t reopen it.
I didn’t y think they had the power?
Republicans have the votes to get their agenda passed on any strict party line vote. But the margins are extremely thin. In the House in particular, right now due to vacancies Republicans can only afford to lose a single vote. If two Republicans vote with all Democrats against something, the vote fails.
So, if Republicans can’t keep their caucus in lock-step on these votes, they would need a few Democratic votes instead. Democrats are entirely justified to demand some things in exchange for those votes. They can’t demand the world, but can demand specific, targeted things. Reining in DOGE should be item 1 for them.
And Democrats have to be careful, because if they start these negotiations for support and they go nowhere, Republicans can go to their people and say “Democrats are shutting down the government”, and they will believe it. When in reality it is Republican infighting that is shutting it down, since they can’t keep their own caucus together on this.
Republicans can go to their people and say “Democrats are shutting down the government”, and they will believe it.
This specifically will happen regardless of what democrats do
Right, but there’s a difference in messaging between Democrats saying “Republicans were elected by the People to be in charge, and they’re doing a piss-poor job at it, and can’t organize themselves enough to keep the Government open” and “Republicans talked with us, but weren’t serious about keeping the government open”. The first clearly lays blame, while the second shares it for no good reason.
MAGAs won’t care about the distinction (nor will Lemmings, for that matter). But all the folks who voted for Biden in 2020 but Trump in 2024 will. They did not put Republicans in charge to burn it all down like the MAGAs did, they did it because shit’s expensive and they didn’t trust Biden/Harris to fix it. Democrats need to reinforce to these voters that Republicans don’t care about egg prices at all.
It’s party policy to only weild the power afforded to them by their constituents every other Tuesday.
