Senate Republicans do not have enough votes for cloture, a legislative procedure to end debate and move for a vote. Republicans only have a 53-47 seat majority, and 60 votes are needed to invoke cloture. If Democrats don’t provide enough votes for cloture, the government is almost certainly headed toward a shutdown Friday.

Despite promising a fight, Senate Democrats are reportedly considering a vote swap. In exchange for providing enough votes to end debate on the GOP spending bill, Senate Republicans would allow a Democratic amendment to continue to fund the government at current levels for the next month to come to the floor, known as a continuing resolution, or CR. The Democratic amendment is almost certain to fail.

Democrats opposed to the GOP bill would then be allowed to vote “no” on the broader spending bill, allowing them to seem like they’re voting against the GOP measure despite providing the needed support to bring it to the floor. Democrats have criticized the GOP plan, which would give Musk and Trump more power to slash the federal government and also cut $1 billion from Washington, D.C.’s local budget.

Nina Smith, a Democratic strategist, said this kind of wheeling and dealing is exactly why Americans have lost faith in the party.

  • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    It’s exactly like Collins and Manchin. They put up a big show of fighting and then just vote for it anyways.

    The DNC must be abolished if this is their version of opposing the destruction of our civil service.

    • Desert Hermit@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      Seriously. They honestly think that they can help move along and destroy the country and that 1) everyone will forget in 18 months that they voted to capitulate and won’t remember if they voted for a shutdown, and 2) that they will STILL easily pick up wins in 2026 if they capitulate.

  • Brotha_Jaufrey@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    Why the hell do dems think republicans are just gonna play nice? And why vote for this fucking bill? Are they idiots?

  • ClassStruggle@lemmy.ml
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    7 days ago

    We have tried to tell liberals for decades this is what their party is. And they kept punching left when they should have been listening

  • StayDoomed@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    If you are commenting or reacting, take the 2 minutes to call your senators and tell them how useless Democrats are showing themselves to be. 5calls.org.

  • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works
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    7 days ago

    My expectations are in the basement at this point. And yet, they still fail to meet them. Jesus fuck.

    This spineless, gormless, feckless idiocy shouldn’t surprise or disappoint me any more at this point, but here we are. I must admit to feeling spikes of fury at the thoroughly manifest incompetence of our “opposition party”.