* Governor JB Pritzker…
Today, Governor JB Pritzker released the following statement ahead of the U.S. Senate vote on the Continuing Resolution:
“Republicans in Congress have abdicated their responsibility to critically evaluate the damage Donald Trump is doing to critical services the American people need. Democrats have the ability to force bipartisanship and bring the two sides together to make a budget that reflects priorities we all ought to share.
“America was founded on the concept of checks and balances, but Republicans in Congress have decided to bend their knee to Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and their cronies who seek to gut our government from the inside out. It is dangerous.
“Illinoisans know all too well what happens when Republicans are reckless and play politics with people’s livelihood. Veterans will have trouble getting healthcare. Workers will lose jobs when infrastructure projects grind to a halt. Preschools will lose teachers and parents will be left without childcare. Make no mistake: people will suffer the consequences of their negligence.
“Democrats have the power to stop the cessation of power to Donald Trump and Elon Musk and they should use it. I urge a no vote on the Continuing Resolution.”
…Adding… CNN…
Veteran Democrats privately believed Chuck Schumer’s decision on the shutdown was inevitable. Others were ready for the top Senate Democrat to lead them into their first big battle against President Donald Trump — and instead have been left fuming.
Schumer’s declaration Thursday night that he would vote for Republicans’ stopgap spending bill, backing down in the party’s first big leverage point in President Donald Trump’s second term has confirmed a dire political reality for his caucus: Democrats had no good options left to avert a government shutdown with just hours to go until the deadline.
“If we go into a shutdown, and I told my caucus this, there’s no off-ramp. The total off-ramp of a shutdown, how you stop a shutdown, is totally determined by the Republican House and Senate, and that is totally determined because they’ve shown complete blind obeisance [to] Trump, DOGE, etc. They could keep us in a shutdown for months and months and months,” Schumer told reporters Thursday night.
The Democratic leader’s decision privately disappointed many in his caucus, and stunned his House colleagues across the US Capitol — leaving the party deeply divided on the path ahead at a moment when their base is clamoring for a strong response against Trump and Elon Musk’s actions to radically reshape the federal government.
…Adding… Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton…
“In less than 55 days, our nation has watched the reckless dissolution of America’s most basic foundations. Republican Congressmembers have chosen to ignore the needs of their constituents to appease Donald Trump and his toy soldier, Elon Musk. Democrats have an opportunity to start healing the divide that has ripped through our nation by bringing true public servants from both parties together to draft a budget that honors what our people have told us they want and need.
America’s brilliance is most visible in our moments of balance; Republicans are making a choice every day to silence what they know is right in their hearts for the sake of what they hope is right in the bank accounts of corporations.
Illinois is no stranger to the lasting effects of haphazard Republican experiments. We know what the proposed cuts will look like in action:
Students will fall behind and fail to meet standard benchmarks when their teachers are laid off; working parents will be forced to make up the gap in childcare; veterans will be turned away from doctors and stunned by prices at pharmacies; and families will continue to struggle to put food on the table. The people who will feel the most brutal effects of the GOP’s slash-and-burn approach are the same people who spend their days just trying to get by.
Democrats have a chance to stop this unconscionable submission to Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s impulses. It’s time to start using the leverage we have. I join Governor Pritzker and strongly urge a no vote on the Continuing Resolution.”
…Adding… US Sen. Tammy Duckworth…
“I refuse to vote for Republicans’ highly-partisan slush fund bill that grants Donald Trump and co-President Elon Musk permission to continue rigging our government and our economy against the middle class. After weeks of an unelected billionaire taking a chainsaw to programs and services that millions depend on, Republicans are ramming through a bill that would greenlight more of the same chaos—and further cut programs for middle-class Americans, seniors and Veterans in order to carve out tax cuts for billionaires. Hell no, I cannot support that.
“Americans deserve so much better. Before the clock runs out, it’s time for Republicans to come back to the negotiating table that they walked away from and strike a bipartisan deal to keep our government open, invest in families and protect our national security. If they don’t, then make no mistake: Republicans own whatever outcome tomorrow may bring.”
…Adding… The Chicago Federation of Labor, Equality Illinois, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Personal PAC, and Sierra Club Illinois…
“In just two months, Donald Trump and Elon Musk have ransacked the federal government, causing untold damage to Chicagoans and people across the country. Their extreme agenda has wrecked the economy, targeted immigrants, undermined workers’ rights and women’s rights, endangered our environment, attacked LGBTQ+ people, and subverted the foundation of our democracy.
“Not only does the Continuing Resolution further cut services, it gives Trump and Musk explicit approval to continue to loot our government and corrode shared values. The spending bill is just an extension of the DOGE effort to purge the federal government to pay for massive tax breaks to billionaires. On behalf of the communities we represent, we urge the U.S. Senators from Illinois and across the country to reject the spending bill and vote no on cloture while working to avoid a government shutdown. We also thank the Illinois delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives for their opposition.”
…Adding… Some discussion in comments about cloture. Duckworth is a ‘No’ on that as well…
Also, Rich checked and the governor is urging a ‘No’ vote on cloture, too.
* Rich went over this topic with subscribers earlier today, including this…
…Adding… The Washington Post…
The spending bill expected to pass the Senate on Friday could bolster President Donald Trump’s push to wrest power away from Congress, giving the administration even greater control over the budget as he seeks to shrink the federal government.
Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service have aggressively pushed the legal limits of the president’s power over government spending, dismantling departments and eliminating hundreds, if not thousands, of federal functions without authorization by lawmakers. Although courts have blocked some of these moves, many congressional Democrats had hoped to use the deadline over government funding to force Republicans to reverse — or at least limit — the Trump administration’s unilateral cuts. […]
But the GOP-written spending bill, pushed through the House on a near party-line vote by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) earlier this week, could give Trump a freer hand to redirect funds as he sees fit, according to congressional Democrats and several nonpartisan budget experts. […]
Democrats had hoped to include language in the bill requiring Trump to spend all the money in the measure and potentially thwart the unilateral cuts Trump and Musk are pursuing to agencies like the Education Department and Social Security Administration. But because Johnson was able to persuade all but one House Republican to back the measure, the GOP didn’t need any Democratic votes — which meant Republicans didn’t need to negotiate over that language before sending the bill to the Senate.
…Adding… The American Federation of Government Employees…
…Adding… Durbin voted for cloture…
…Adding… Some major groups are pretty upset at Sen. Durbin right now…
The Chicago Federation of Labor, Equality Illinois, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Personal PAC, and Sierra Club Illinois released a joint statement regarding Congressional passage of the government funding bill on Friday:
“The Congressional Republicans’ spending package ensures Donald Trump and Elon Musk can continue unabated as they loot the government while lining the pockets of the ultra-wealthy. We are profoundly disappointed in Sen. Durbin’s decision to advance this irresponsible spending bill, for which millions of people in Chicago and across our country will pay the price in diminished services, lost jobs, higher prices, dirtier air and water, eroded civil liberties, and a weakened democracy. This puts all of the diverse constituencies we represent in danger. We thank the rest of the members of the Illinois Democratic Congressional delegation, who voted no and made a clear statement in opposition to the Trump/Musk agenda.
“There will be many more moments when we need Illinois Democrats to stand strong for our communities and our values. We hope we can count on our delegation to stand up and fight back.”
Emphasis added.
