With Democrats threatening to force a partial government shutdown, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is being confronted with a warning he delivered just last year.
The “Rapid Response” account on X for President Donald Trump’s White House posted on Thursday a “flashback” clip of Schumer’s remarks from September — when the top Democrat pinned a potential shutdown at that time on Republicans.
“If the government shuts down, it will be average Americans who suffer most. A government shutdown means seniors who rely on Social Security could be thrown into chaos …” Schumer said.
“So what changed, Chuck?” the White House account asked.
Flashback to @SenSchumer last September:
“If the government shuts down, it will be average Americans who suffer most. A government shutdown means seniors who rely on Social Security could be thrown into chaos.”
So what changed, Chuck? pic.twitter.com/eyM07qBYv6
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 13, 2025
Earlier this week, the GOP-led House passed another continuing resolution to avert a partial government shutdown by the end of this week — in which non-essential federal employees will be furloughed — and keep federal agencies and programs funded through September 30. But on Wednesday, Schumer declared Republicans “do not have” the votes needed to break a filibuster.
A flurry of GOP senators and their allies piled on Schumer in response to the clip posted by the White House.
“Chuck Schumer should take some advice from *checks notes* Chuck Schumer. Let’s avoid a Schumer Shutdown,” quipped Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN).
“The Trump Derangement Syndrome continues,” said Sen. Thom Thillis (R-NC). “One of the first things Democrats did when they controlled the Senate was to make a failed push to nuke the filibuster because [Joe] Biden was President. Now they are shamefully filibustering and on the verge of shutting down the government to appease their radical base because Trump is President.”
Elon Musk, who is overseeing the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), replied: “Paging 2024 Schumer …”
As an alternative to the House spending patch, Schumer has proposed a four-week continuing resolution to “keep the government open and give Congress time to negotiate bipartisan legislation that can pass.” However, Republicans control the Senate and are moving forward with the lower chamber’s bill.
It is possible that leaders reach a deal in which enough Democrats or independents vote to advance the House bill — a three-fifths majority, or 60 votes, will be needed to invoke cloture — in exchange for a vote on the minority’s alternative measure, potentially as some kind of amendment.
