Democrats in Congress are showing signs of frustration as Republicans continue to push forward with their own funding priorities, ignoring Democratic input in the process. With only 10 weeks remaining until a potential government shutdown, Democratic leaders appear unsure about their strategy to counter Republican moves.
According to Politico, in the House, Republicans are moving ahead with deep spending cuts and adding conservative policies to funding bills, including restrictions on abortions and blocks on federal diversity hiring initiatives. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats, despite having more power due to the 60-vote requirement, haven’t taken a strong stance against these measures.
“To be blunt, I don’t think there’s one tactic or approach that is going to solve this from any individual Democrat,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii who serves as a top appropriator, highlighting the party’s current predicament in dealing with funding negotiations.
White House budget chief sparks controversy with anti-bipartisan comments
The situation became more tense after White House Budget Chief Russ Vought stated that “the appropriations process has to be less bipartisan,” leading to criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans. This comment came after Republicans approved $9 billion in funding clawbacks for foreign aid and local media, marking the first such package approval in 30 years.
Democrats are powerless because they have no leadership nor a plan for any of this!
— Em Cee(@BearsFan4Lyf3) July 21, 2025
While some Republicans, including Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, have shown sympathy toward Democratic concerns about Trump’s handling of funding decisions, Democrats need more Republican support to effectively challenge the administration’s actions, especially after a GOP Senator saved Trump’s bill before admitting it’s not good enough for the nation.
House Democrats, led by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, are now pushing for more Republicans to stand up against the administration’s funding moves, though they face challenges as the GOP’s sneaky Medicaid timeline leaves Democrats scrambling to explain cuts that haven’t happened yet. They’re also supporting legal challenges to Trump’s funding decisions, with over 100 lawsuits currently in courts across the country.
Despite their frustration, Democrats are still trying to work within the system rather than threatening a shutdown. In the Senate, Democratic appropriators are continuing to engage in bipartisan funding discussions, with Senator Jeanne Shaheen emphasizing the importance of finding bipartisan agreement and moving the appropriations process forward quickly.
