Here We Go: Democrats Scrambling For Way to End ‘Schumer Shutdown’
This time around, the political optics aren’t breaking their way. Unlike past shutdowns where Democrats managed to shift the blame, the public mood has turned against them — and it looks like they’re finally beginning to realize it.
The Hill reported that Senate Democrats are quietly exploring ways to bring the shutdown to an end — but they’re trying to do it without appearing to cave to Republican demands:
Senate Democrats are taking a close look at a Republican proposal to pay all federal employees — including essential and furloughed workers — as they’re under new pressure from the nation’s largest federal workers union to pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government.
They also plan to introduce legislation to pay for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and extend funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, which provides essential nutrition assistance for lower income mothers.
The developments reveal Democrats are looking for a way to ease the impact of the four-week shutdown on federal workers who are struggling to pay their daily expenses and on lower income Americans who may soon run out of food.
Publicly, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and his leadership team are sticking to their arguments that President Trump needs to start negotiating on health insurance subsidies before they agree to reopen the government.
At the same time, Democrats are feeling intense pressure to end the shutdown in a way that gives them a political win — or at least a face-saving off-ramp from the stalemate that has stalled Washington for nearly 30 days.
