Democrats of all persuasions, even some centrists who have long been firmly anti-shutdown, feel that voting for a “clean” spending bill would be tacitly blessing Musk’s controversial work. Denying Republicans the votes they’ll need to keep the agencies open, they believe, would be the lesser evil.

“Nobody wants a shutdown, but they don’t feel like aiding and abetting what’s happening, with Musk and Trump taking a wrecking ball to health care in particular,” said one senior House Democratic aide, who like others I spoke to was granted anonymity to speak candidly about internal party conversations. “Why would we be complicit in that?”

A senior Democratic lawmaker was blunter: “At some point you’ve got to have a goddamn backbone. I am not giving them a blank check until September.”

  • tiredofsametab@fedia.io
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    1 minute ago

    Then blame all the things that are actually a result of current admin policy on the shutdown and this the democrats.

  • orcrist@lemm.ee
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    6 hours ago

    The authors got one thing wrong. They said it’s the Democrats looking for a fight but that’s not what’s happening. Trump is looking for a fight constantly and the only question is where he’s going to find one. It is irresponsible journalism to conceal that fact.

  • TootSweet@lemmy.world
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    8 hours ago

    At some point you’ve got to have a goddamn backbone.

    The Democrats have had so many opportunities to do so and haven’t managed even the faintest hint of one in my memory. God I hope they’re serious about it this time, but I’d be amazed if it actually happened now.

    • veroxii@aussie.zone
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      42 minutes ago

      They had 4 years to put Trump away. To put safeguards in place. They’re fucking hopeless.

  • MyBrainHurts@lemmy.ca
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    8 hours ago

    Republicans have majorities in both houses, if they can’t pass a spending bill, that’s on them.

  • alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml
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    7 hours ago

    One of the weird parts of a government shutdown: The Office of Management and Budget decides what still gets paid, and is appointed by the president.

    So when the government “shut down” under Obama and the troops still got bombs, but the FDA stopped routine food safety inspections, it was because the guy Obama appointed decided the former was essential and the latter was not.

    If Trump’s guy, Vaught decides to, he can literally just declare anything they wanted to fund essential.

    Of course the alternative is the republicans doing the same thing, except with the democrat’s cooperation.

  • BombOmOm@lemmy.world
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    7 hours ago

    Would Trump even consider the Democrats championing the government no longer spending money to be a bad thing?