Democrats Are in a Shutdown Pickle

The government will shut down at midnight Friday unless Congress passes a spending measure before then, and the deadline is putting Senate Democrats in a bind: They don't want to vote for the GOP-authored resolution before them, but they fear the alternative of triggering a shutdown is worse. Coverage:

• Punchbowl News reports that the most likely scenario, for now, is that Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer will settle for a face-saving measure to avert a shutdown. He'll demand votes on amendments, including a separate vote on the Democrats' own continuing resolution. "It's theater," the outlet notes, given that the Democratic plan has no chance of passing. But it would allow Schumer to say Democrats were trying to fight back.

• The Hill similarly reports that Senate Democrats were saying privately they will not allow a shutdown to happen, meaning they would ultimately have to vote in favor of the six-month Republican plan—despite pressure from the party's progressive wing. As Axios puts it, "Schumer is balancing his deep distaste for a shutdown against pressure from the grassroots to do more to stand up to Trump."
• One fear among Democrats is that a shutdown would leave federal employees even more vulnerable to Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, per CNN. "If it shuts down, what is Elon Musk going to allow to open back up?" asked Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. "That's a big concern of mine. How many more veterans is Elon, and this administration, going to fire? So, there's not a good option here." Independent Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats, called it a "choice between two terrible alternatives."
• Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is already on board publicly with voting for the GOP plan, reports the Washington Post. A shutdown would "absolutely punish millions, millions of Americans," Fetterman said this week. Senate Majority Leader John Thune says the GOP measure, which already has passed the House, is the only route to keeping the government open. "The question of whether or not it stays funded now is up to the Democrats," said the Republican leader.

(More government shutdown stories.)