Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) expressed concern that Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is walking his party into a Republican trap.
The New York Times reported on Friday that Democrats haven't been willing to shut down the government over budget negotiations in past years — but some are now demanding that change.
Deficit hawks in the GOP are unwilling to support any budget measure that raises the debt ceiling and doesn't drastically cut spending. This puts leaders like Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) in a difficult position because they can't afford to lose votes — and means they'll have to turn to Democrats for help passing the budget, raising the debt ceiling, and averting a government shutdown.
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Over the years, Democrats have been willing to offset those on the far right. Now, some want to stop playing ball, even if it leads to a government shutdown.
“If Elon Musk and DOGE has found all of this fraud, and waste, and abuse — hundreds of billions of dollars, as they claim — well, then, we can’t fund the government by C.R. anymore,” Moskowitz said in a floor speech this week. He was referencing the continuing resolution that has been used as a temporary measure to keep the budget funded. The upcoming deadline is March 14.
“The C.R. would re-fund all of that waste, fraud and abuse that DOGE has found,” Moskowitz continued. “Which means the only way to fund the government is to fund it by individual spending bills.”
Moskowitz spoke to the Times on Wednesday night and expressed his concern about a GOP trap, saying that he hopes "party leaders like Mr. Schumer [doesn't] lead them into it."
“They want us to constantly defend the status quo and are setting us up to do that,” he said of his GOP colleagues. “We don’t want to close the government, but if the speaker of the House doesn’t start moving individual spending bills, the other choice is to go fund all the fraud and abuse they claim to have found.”
Sens. Andy Kim and Cory Booker, both New Jersey Democrats, also seem willing to let the shutdown move forward, despite Schumer's promise that he won't allow that to happen, the report said.
Kim told "Meet the Press" last Sunday, “I cannot support efforts that will continue this lawlessness that we’re seeing when it comes to this administration’s actions. For us to be able to support government funding in that way, only for them to turn around to dismantle the government, that is not something that can be allowed.”
Republicans currently hold control of the House, Senate and the White House. President Donald Trump said that the election gave them a "massive" mandate.