Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is signaling a possible partial government shutdown if Republicans proceed with a $9.4 billion rescission package backed by President Donald Trump.
The package includes $1.1 billion in cuts to public broadcasting and $8.3 billion in foreign aid. The Senate is expected to vote on the measure ahead of a July 18 deadline.
Schumer’s remarks came during a press conference where he accused Republicans of undermining the bipartisan appropriations process through what he described as “pocket rescissions” and other tactics.
He warned that Democrats may refuse to support the next government funding bill—due before October 1—if Republicans insist on pushing through the clawbacks, risking a lapse in funding and a potential partial shutdown.
This position represents a shift for Schumer, who earlier this year helped avert a shutdown by supporting a Trump-approved stopgap funding measure. That decision angered progressive factions within his party, prompting criticism from elected Democrats and forcing him to cancel parts of a planned book tour.
Senate Majority Whip John Thune pushed back on Schumer’s comments, calling them an implicit threat to weaponize a shutdown over modest spending cuts. “I was disappointed to see the Democrat leader implicitly threaten to shut down the government,” Thune said on the Senate floor, while expressing hope that a bipartisan agreement on appropriations remains possible.
The rescissions package passed the House narrowly in June, 214–212, with four Republicans siding with Democrats. In the Senate, moderate Republicans have expressed reservations, particularly regarding foreign aid reductions, but GOP leadership is pressing for passage ahead of the statutory deadline.
Under the Impoundment Control Act, failure to approve the rescissions by July 18 would obligate the executive branch to spend the funds as originally authorized by Congress.
Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana issued a sharp warning to his colleagues: “If the Republicans in the United States Senate do not pass the rescission package, after all the rhetoric about reducing spending, then they should hide their head in the bag. And I think the White House will provide the bag.”