Congress is in the midst of what has become a common, if unfortunate, ritual: squabbling over a potential government “shutdown.” Lawmakers have until the end of the day Friday to move something forward or there will be a disruption in “nonessential” federal services.
In recent years, Democrats and their media allies have typically succeeded in convincing voters that Republicans were to blame for any inconveniences caused by a standoff. They won’t be able to make a similar case this time.
On Tuesday, the House GOP approved a continuing resolution to fund the government through September. Democrats were hoping that Speaker Mike Johnson would fail to round up the necessary votes among his diverse and narrow majority, but Republicans opted to keep Washington running rather than fight internecine battles over spending priorities. The measure carried the day, 217-213.
It’s worth noting that Nevada’s House Democrats — Reps. Dina Titus, Susie Lee and Steven Horsford — voted against the proposal.
The legislation now moves to the Senate, where Republicans need support from at least seven Democrats to overcome the 60-vote threshold required to avoid a filibuster. In other words, it is up to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to decide whether his party wants to shut down the government in a fit of pique over President Donald Trump’s efforts to cut spending.
At least one Democrat in the upper chamber said he’ll join the Republicans. “I refuse to burn the village down and to claim to save it,” Sen. John Fetterman, Democrat from Pennsylvania, told CBS News. “I probably won’t agree with many facets of that (continuing resolution), but when the choice is about shutting the government down, I don’t want to be involved with that.”
In Nevada, all eyes should be on Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen. Both profess during election season to be moderates, only to fall in line when Sen. Schumer gives the call. Will they allow the government to close?
A report this week in Politico reveals that Democratic polling shows the party “is in rough shape in the congressional battlegrounds.” Only 39 percent of those surveyed in a recent poll by Navigator Research, a Democratic firm, “believe Democrats have the right priorities.” A government shutdown prompted by Democratic intransigence will only further harm the party’s standing.
Sens. Cortez Masto and Rosen should stand up to the party bosses, show a bit of independence, and support the continuing resolution. If, instead, the lights go out on Friday night, Sen. Schumer and friends will own this shutdown, and Nevada’s House and Senate Democrats will have been complicit.
