...The continuing resolution that just passed isn’t some groundbreaking conservative victory—it’s a strategic move that sets the stage for something much bigger—like keeping government spending flat (no major increases), blocking funding for new programs (a huge problem for a party that thrives on expanding government), and giving Republicans the opening to push real budget cuts through reconciliation (something Democrats desperately wanted to avoid)...
Democrats had two choices, and neither one was good:
Option 1: Filibuster the resolution and shut down the government, handing Russ Vought—the OMB director and a fiscal conservative who will take a machete to government spending with a mad grin on his face (probably)—full control over what spending gets prioritized.
Option 2: Pass the CR and keep the government open, but in doing so, legitimize the spending cuts that Republicans have been working toward all along (and, more importantly, legitimizing Elon Musk's work).
They chose the latter, because between letting Vought run wild in a shutdown or dealing with the political fallout of conceding to Republicans, they went with what they saw as the lesser of two evils. But make no mistake—this was a trap, and Chuck Schumer knows it...
...Vought, a key figure in Trump’s first administration, is someone who actually believes in cutting government waste—not as a political talking point, but as a mission.
If Democrats had filibustered the CR and let the government shut down this weekend, Vought would have had full authority to decide where the limited funding went And let’s just say, he wouldn’t be prioritizing their pet projects. To put it bluntly...
...If the government had shut down, they wouldn’t just be facing temporary disruptions. They would have been watching permanent spending reductions take place in real-time—without their control. Schumer and company knew they couldn’t allow that to happen, so they gritted their teeth and passed the CR, fully aware that they were handing Republicans the long-term win.
https://redstate.com/joesquire/2025/03/13/chuck-schumer-calls-republicans-bastards-but-deep-down-he-knows-he-got-played-on-the-cr-n2186645
