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SENATE DEMOCRATS MUST VOTE AGAINST THE REPUBLICANS’ CONTINUING
BUDGET RESOLUTION  
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Robert Reich
March 12, 2025
Robert Reich
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_ It’s the only way to hold the Trump regime accountable. Call your
senators now. Why should any member of Congress vote to give Trump and
Musk a trillion dollars and then let them decide how to spend it —
or not spend it? _

Choice before Senate Democrats force vote on a "clean" 30-day
continuing resolution, or if it fails, being blamed for a government
shutdown; , or accepting the House bill which surrenders Congressional
budget authority to Trump and Musk to shutter government. (image
credit: NBC Chicago // YouTube image)

 

Yesterday the House passed legislation to fund the government through
September 30 and thereby avert a shutdown at the end of this week.

The measure now goes to the Senate, where Democrats must decide
whether to support it and thereby hand Trump and Musk a blank check to
continue their assault on the federal government.

The House bill would keep last year’s spending levels largely flat
but would increase spending for the military by $6 billion and cut
more than $1 billion from the District of Columbia’s budget.

In normal times, I recommend that Democrats vote for continuing budget
resolutions because Democrats support the vital services that the
government provides to the American people: Social Security, Medicare,
Medicaid, veterans services, education, the Food and Drug
Administration, environmental protection, and much else.

In normal times, Democrats want to keep the government open.

In normal times, Democrats would be wrong to vote against a continuing
resolution that caused the government to shut down.

But these are not normal times.

THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE RICHEST PERSON IN THE WORLD
ARE _ALREADY _SHUTTING THE GOVERNMENT DOWN. THEY HAVE EFFECTIVELY
CLOSED USAID AND THE CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU. THEY HAVE
SENT HALF THE PERSONNEL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PACKING. THEY
ARE ELIMINATING ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY OFFICES RESPONSIBLE
FOR ADDRESSING HIGH LEVELS OF POLLUTION FACING POOR COMMUNITIES.

They are usurping from Congress the power of the purse — the power
to decide what services are to be funded and received by the American
people — and are arrogating that power to themselves.

In 1996, when I was in Bill Clinton’s Cabinet, we opposed Newt
Gingrich’s budget bullying. We also understood that Gingrich’s
demands would seriously cripple the federal government. So Bill
Clinton refused to go along with Gingrich’s budget resolution, and
the government was shuttered for four long painful weeks.

Today’s situation is far worse. Trump and Musk aren’t just making
demands that would cripple the federal government. They are directly
crippling the federal government.

WHY SHOULD ANY MEMBER OF CONGRESS VOTE IN FAVOR OF A CONTINUING
RESOLUTION TO FUND GOVERNMENT SERVICES THAT ARE NO LONGER CONTINUING?

Why should any member of Congress vote to give Trump and Musk a
trillion dollars and then let _them_ decide how to spend it — or
not spend it?

Why should Congress give Trump and Musk a blank check to continue
their pillage?

The real choice congressional Democrats face today is _not _between
a continuing resolution that allows the government to function
normally _or_ a government shutdown. Under Trump and Musk, the
government is not functioning normally. It is not continuing. It is
already shutting down.

TODAY’S REAL CHOICE IS BETWEEN A CONTINUING RESOLUTION THAT GIVES
TRUMP AND MUSK FREE REIN TO DECIDE WHAT GOVERNMENT SERVICES THEY WANT
TO CONTINUE AND WHAT SERVICES THEY WANT TO SHUT DOWN —_ OR
DEMANDING THAT TRUMP AND MUSK STOP USURPING THE POWER OF CONGRESS, AS
A CONDITION FOR KEEPING THE GOVERNMENT FUNDED._

Trump, Musk, and the rest of their regime have made it clear that they
don’t care what Congress or the courts say. They are acting
unconstitutionally. They are actively destroying our system of
government.

The spineless Republicans will not say this publicly. So Democrats
must — and Democrats must insist on budget language that holds Trump
and Musk accountable.

The House’s Republican-drafted budget resolution isn’t contingent
on Trump observing existing laws. It does not instruct the president
to stop Musk from riding roughshod over the federal government. It
doesn’t tell the president and his Cabinet to spend the money
Congress intended to be spent.

Members of Trump’s team are already saying that if a continuing
resolution is passed, they will not observe laws that Congress has
enacted and will not spend funds that Congress has authorized and
appropriated. Marco Rubio, for example, says that even if the State
Department is fully funded, he will void 83 percent of the contracts
authorized for USAID.

Senate Democrats are needed to obtain the 60 votes necessary to pass
the House’s continuing budget resolution through the Senate. But
there is no point in Democrats voting to fund the government only to
let Trump and Musk do whatever they see fit with those funds.

SENATE DEMOCRATS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO STOP TRUMP AND MUSK FROM THEIR
ILLEGAL AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL SHUTTING OF THE GOVERNMENT. DEMOCRATS
SHOULD SAY THEY’LL VOTE FOR THE CONTINUING BUDGET RESOLUTION TO KEEP
THE GOVERNMENT GOING ONLY IF TRUMP AGREES TO ABIDE BY THE LAW AND KEEP
THE GOVERNMENT GOING — FULLY FUNDING THE SERVICES THAT CONGRESS
INTENDS TO BE FULLY FUNDED AND STOPPING THE PILLAGING.

If Democrats set out this condition clearly but Trump won’t agree,
the consequences will be on Trump and the Republicans. They run the
government now. They are the ones who are engaging in, or are
complicit in, the wanton destruction now taking place.

This is an opportunity for the public to learn what Trump and Musk are
doing, and why it’s illegal and unconstitutional.

In 1996, when Bill Clinton refused to go along with Newt Gingrich’s
plan to cripple the federal government, causing the government to shut
down for a month, Clinton wasn’t blamed. Gingrich was blamed.

If you live in a state with a Democratic senator, please phone them
right now and tell them NOT to vote for the continuing resolution
that gives Trump and Musk free rein to continue shutting the
government. The Capitol switchboard is _202-224-3121_. A switchboard
operator will connect you directly with the Senate office you request.

_[ROBERT REICH is Professor, writer, former Secretary of Labor, author
of The System, The Common Good, Saving Capitalism, Aftershock,
Supercapitalism, The Work of Nations. Co-creator of "Inequality for
All" and "Saving Capitalism." Co-founder of Inequality Media
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* Funding Bill
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* Senate
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* Senate Dems
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* Senate Democrats
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* Continuing Resolution
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* CR
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* Congressional Budget
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* Government Shutdown
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* Separation of Powers
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* Constitution
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* Trump Budget
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* GOP Budget
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* House Budget
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* Sen Charles Schumer
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* John Fetterman
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* Donald Trump
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* Elon Musk
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* Trump 2.0
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