Scarinci: Senator Chuck Schumer was Right

Chuck Schumer has shown leadership and good political judgement by urging U.S. Senators to vote for the House budget continuing resolution.  Had he not done so, the narrative would have shifted from Donald Trump’s unpopular cuts, tariffs, and confrontation with the judiciary to the Democrats who shut down the government.

At some point soon, Trump will have to stop blaming President Biden for everything that is wrong.  If Democrats had voted to shut down the government, they would have handed Trump a new scapegoat—The Democratic members of Congress.

Unfortunately, the Democratic Senators who voted against the House budget continuing resolution reveal how disconnected from the public the Democratic Party has become.  To defeat Trump in the 2026 House elections, Democrats need to understand why they lost in 2024 after spending an unprecedented $1.5 billion on the presidential election.

What Is a Continuing Resolution?

Congress must enact appropriation bills by the start of the fiscal year, which begins on October 1. If it is unable to do so, lawmakers can use a continuing resolution as a temporary measure to fund government activities for a specified period. The goal is to avoid a partial government shutdown and provide more time for Congress to pass appropriations bills for the full year.

The duration of a continuing resolution will vary, with most lasting a few months. Its budgetary authority ends either upon enactment of the applicable regular appropriations bill or on an expiration date specified in the continuing resolution, whichever occurs first.

While CRs are not the best way to fund the government, a government shutdown would have been worse. “You have two choices: one bad, the other devastating,” Schumer said. “One chops off one of your fingers, the other chops off your arm.”

What Happens During a Government Shutdown?

If a new appropriations bill isn’t approved by the time the old one expires, a funding gap will often arise that triggers impacted agencies to reduce their operations (commonly referred to as a “government shutdown”).

During a government shutdown, many federal workers are furloughed indefinitely. Workers whose roles are deemed essential are required to continue working without pay. Additionally, numerous government services relied upon by the public may lapse, including passport processing, certain veteran’s benefits, and access to national parks.

In short, a government shutdown would have handed Donald Trump the tool he needed to legally dismantle the United States government.

Shutdowns Are Political Losers

Threatening to shut down the government if your party doesn’t receive policy concessions is not a winning argument. Shutdowns are generally unpopular, and whoever is viewed as being responsible tends to come out losing politically.

In this case, the proof that Schumer was right happened immediately after the vote. The media narrative did not shift from Trump to the Democrats. Since the government did not shut down, the news cycle remained focused on the ongoing lawsuits against the administration, the termination of federal employees, Tariffs, and Trump’s attack on the judicial branch. Schumer took some heat, but he recognized that the vote to close the government was a trap for the Democrats.

To Defeat Trump, Democrats Should Stop Talking and Start Listening

During the Presidential campaign, Kamala Harris often pointed out that no one had just “fallen out of a coconut tree.”  The issues in the campaign were clearly articulated and the voters knew what they were voting for. A majority of Americans repudiated key progressive Democratic values.

Progressive Democrats have positioned the Democratic Party in a place that the majority of Americans are not yet ready to go.  While progressives aspire to take America to a utopian ideal, the electorate has other priorities.

Securing the border is increasingly popular, with 55% of voters approving of Trump’s handling of border security and immigration, according to a recent national NBC News poll. Deporting immigrants who are here illegally and have committed crimes also garners significant support from voters. According to a Harvard/Harris poll, just 19% oppose the policy.

The same polls found that other Trump Administration policies are also polling well, including:

• Banning men who have undergone operations and hormones to become women from girls’ sports: 69% support
• Declaring that there are only two genders, male and female, in all government forms and programs: 68% support
• Eliminating all preferences by race in the hiring and awarding of government contracts: 65% support
• Undertaking a full-scale effort to find and eliminate fraud and waste in government expenditures: 76% support

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party recently experienced its lowest favorable rating in the history of NBC News polling. Just 27% of registered voters view the party positively, including just 59% of self-identified Democrats.

Respect Chuck Schumer

The path forward for Democrats requires that the party reflects and reconnects with the public.  If Progressives don’t understand why we lost and keep pushing the same agenda they pushed in 2024, they will get the same result in the 2026 mid-terms.

The Democratic Party has always stood for working-class values.  It is good to create hope and aspire for a better, more equitable world.  However, politics is the art of the possible.  We have just seen the result of what happens when Party leaders try to take Americans where they are not ready to go.

Instead of rejecting and repudiating moderate Democratic Party leaders, the progressives should take advantage of their experience and spend time listening to what average working American families think.  Chuck Schumer’s wisdom, drawn from a lifetime of experience in the Senate and in a difficult and diverse State of New York, has made him the adult in the room.  Right now, the Democrats need adults more than ever.