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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.

  • LovingHippieCat@lemmy.world
    5·
    19 hours ago

    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.

    • Keeponstalin@lemmy.world
      5·
      15 hours ago

      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.