We want to hear from Common Cause members like you – should Democrats in Congress use their budget leverage to stop Trump’s agenda?

John, federal funding runs out in one month, and Trump needs the votes of Democrats in Congress to keep the government open.

That gives Democrats real leverage to reverse Trump’s cruel healthcare cuts, end mass abductions of our neighbors, and ensure free and fair elections in 2026. The question is: will they use it?

Every dollar Trump pours into billionaire tax breaks, troops in our cities, and secret police is a theft from our schools, our hospitals, and our neighborhoods. And every move he makes to rig the 2026 midterms in his favor moves us further down the road to dictatorship.

So as we plan our approach to the upcoming budget showdown, Common Cause wants to hear directly from members like you:

Should Democrats in Congress use this month’s budget fight to try to block Trump's policies? Fill out our quick poll now >>

Click below to record your vote, and if you’d like, tell us why once you've voted. Don’t worry, we won’t ask you for a donation at the end!

✅ Yes, Democrats should withhold support for the budget to pressure Trump to change his policies.

❌ No, Democrats should oppose Trump's policies but avoid a government shutdown.

➖ None of the above

TAKE THE POLL

John, Common Cause has spent decades calling on Congress to get its act together, work across party lines, and stop governing via deadlines and shutdown brinksmanship.

But in this moment, we need to evaluate all our options – because we can’t afford to leave a single one on the table.

Remember, the last time Democrats cut a deal with Trump, he tore it up as soon as he saw an advantage.

In March, Schumer and other Senate Democrats voted for Trump’s spending bill – which included ZERO guardrails against Trump and Elon Musk’s looting of our government. [2]

Common Cause members made over 19,000 calls urging members of Congress not to fall for it… and most Democrats voted NO. But at the last minute, Democratic leaders who were afraid they’d get blamed for a shutdown caved.

And in return for their "bipartisanship", MAGA Republicans played Democrats for fools – ramming through a party line rescission package to cut an additional $1.1 billion from PBS and NPR and billions more from foreign aid. [3]

Trump got everything he wanted – and took it as a signal he could push his authoritarian agenda even further. Every compromise with Trump has ended the same way: more cuts, more corruption, and more power in fewer hands.

So we want to hear from you – should Democrats in Congress draw a line and oppose Trump's budget? Fill out our quick poll to let us know what you think >>

Thanks for all you do,

The team at Common Cause

[1] https://thehill.com/business/budget/5476430-government-funding-democrats/
[2] https://www.npr.org/2025/03/14/nx-s1-5328229/senate-spending-bill-vote-government-shutdown
[3] https://thehill.com/business/budget/5478193-trump-rescission-congress-funding-fight/