Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is sounding out his members about a spending bill to reopen the government for seven to 10 days — if a shutdown is in fact triggered on Oct. 1, according to people familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: Schumer's Plan B anticipates a government shutdown. He and Senate Democrats are also starting to think about how to get out of one.
- A 7–10 day spending bill would require unanimous consent in the Senate, which could put pressure on Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Republicans to abandon their plans for a seven-week bill.
- Schumer's conversations with his colleagues are just in their initial phases.
- Publicly, Schumer is still demanding that Republicans commit to reversing some of Trump's earlier spending cuts and support fresh money for premium health care tax credits in exchange for Democratic votes for a seven-week spending package.
Driving the news: Schumer is set to meet with President Trump at the White House this afternoon, along with the three other top congressional leaders.
- Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is insistent that the House, which has passed a clean continuing resolution to fund the government for seven weeks, won't take additional action until the Senate moves.
- Thune supports that approach and has said he's unwilling to accede to a laundry list of Democratic demands to fund the government for seven weeks. He's indicated he is open to a discussion on the tax credits later this year.
Between the lines: Johnson told his colleagues this morning that he doesn't plan to bring them back to DC this week.
- Schumer's strategy could complicate Johnson's calculation and schedule.
Go deeper: Reality check on shutdown economics
