Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reaffirmed that Democrats have a red line in the upcoming spending talks: No more federal funding freezes.
And he took it a step further, saying in a press conference Tuesday that “we will insist that there be certain changes that undo these bad things” — a reference to recent Trump administration moves like the now-paused funding freeze.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Monday that he wants Trump’s attempted funding freeze “choked off” as part of any bipartisan spending deal. Republicans are certain to need at least seven Senate Democrats to back a funding agreement to overcome a filibuster, and it’s possible Speaker Mike Johnson might need House Democrats as well.
Extracting concessions in government funding negotiations ahead of a looming March deadline is emerging as Democrats’ latest and potentially most effective strategy to combat Trump and his allies’ attempts to slash spending and overhaul the federal government’s operations.
“On appointments, they don’t need Democrats,” Schumer said. “But on legislation — particularly the funding resolution — they do need us.”
Mired in the minority in both chambers, Democrats have little legislative recourse to resist Trump — instead forced to rely on press conferences, impromptu protests and symbolic votes against his nominees to display their defiance. Democrats claimed victory last week after the Trump administration rolled back efforts to implement a sweeping freeze on federal aid after courts stepped in to stop its implementation, but have otherwise struggled to land on a cohesive strategy for their opposition efforts.
But Democratic leaders have taken steps toward cementing their approach this week, with Jeffries on Monday laying out a 10-pronged strategy to respond to Trump ally Elon Musk’s attempts to upend federal government spending and operations. That plan includes a messaging push, legislation and litigation.
As part of that, Jeffries and Schumer unveiled a “stop the steal” bill on Tuesday to block “unlawful access” to the Treasury Department payment system that Musk and his allies recently gained access to under their “Department of Government Efficiency” initiative. It is all but certain to go nowhere, with Republicans in both chambers largely indicating that they’re giving Trump and Musk wide deference.
Democratic senators on Tuesday also sent a letter pressing Secretary of State Marco Rubio for more information about the administration’s efforts to dismantle USAID. And top Democrats overseeing the Treasury Department called on a congressional watchdog to investigate Secretary Scott Bessent allowing Musk’s allies access to the department’s payment systems.
Democrats also plan to unanimously oppose Russ Vought’s confirmation as director of the Office of Management and Budget, Schumer said Tuesday, following the party’s boycott of Vought’s committee vote to protest Trump’s funding freeze. Some Senate Democrats are now moving to place holds on lower-level nominees for key departments to protest the upheaval at USAID.
But Democrats aren’t united on all parts of their counter strategy. Some Democratic senators recently vowed to oppose all of Trump’s nominees, but a number of their colleagues are undercutting those efforts — joining Republicans in confirming Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Christopher Wright and VA Secretary Doug Collins.
