In the latest bit of Democratic Party government-shutdown kabuki theater, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries are huffing and puffing over Team Trump’s talk of mass federal firings if Senate Dems use the filibuster to block Republicans’ two-month stopgap bill.
In reality, the Democratic leaders are just desperately trying to blow up something in the name of “stopping Trump” to appease their party’s toxic base.
Republicans don’t need Dem votes to pass the short-term spending bill; they just need enough Democratic senators to refuse to block a floor vote.
So far, Schumer’s held his conference together in filibustering the measure as he demands Republicans accept $1.5 trillion in added health-care subsidies . . . again, simply to keep the government funded into November.
That works out to roughly $100 billion a week in blackmail payments.
The latest drama came Thursday as Office of Management and Budget chief Russ Vought got the ball rolling on a backup plan if Dems do turn out Uncle Sam’s lights come Sept. 30: He ordered agencies to prepare Reduction in Force plans “to retain the minimal number of employees necessary to carry out statutory functions.”
Meaning: A bunch of federal workers could lose their jobs for good come Oct. 1.
Schumer called Vought’s order “an attempt at intimidation”; Jeffries slammed Vought as “a malignant political hack” and insisted Democrats would “not be intimidated.”
Translation: Hey, we’re the ones making the threats around here!
They’re such phonies; Vought’s move was expected: Schumer himself cited possible mass firings as a reason he let a previous GOP-backed funding bill pass in March.
But Chuck’s wise move to avoid triggering a shutdown back then infuriated progressives, who demand that Dems in Congress find some way to act against Orange Man — or at least to act out.
Hence the current drama, which may yet end next week if 10 Senate Democrats simply refuse to support the next filibuster.
The federal workers at risk of losing their jobs are most likely Democrats themselves, but privileged progressives don’t care: They want some kind of chaos in protest of Trump’s existence.
If they don’t get a shutdown, they’ll likely have a meltdown.
From the summer riots in Los Angeles to the firebombings of Tesla dealerships and even this week’s deadly attack on a Dallas ICE facility, the left has made crystal-clear that it wants something big to burn.
Maybe Schumer and Jeffries are privately hoping moderates will prevent a shutdown; maybe they figure the spectacle of government closure will appease their base enough that it doesn’t get even more destructive.
After years of humoring the far-left whack jobs to keep the party together, they seem to think they’re simply stuck riding the tiger.