GOP cuts trigger Democratic warnings on government shutdowns

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is warning Republicans they'll risk a government shutdown all alone if they ram through cuts to PBS and foreign aid. Now he just needs them to take that threat seriously.Why it matters: A shutdown fight in this political climate could put Democratic senators under the most intense pressure of their careers. But the threat of a shutdown is Schumer's (D-N.Y.) only real leverage.Schumer outraged his base earlier this year by voting to keep the government open. He's long opposed government shutdowns.But the Democratic base's message is even louder now: Fight, fight, fight.The big picture: To some Senate Dems, the GOP's unilateral clawbacks would kill the bipartisan trust they need to work together on spending bills.The GOP needs at least seven Democratic votes to extend government funding ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline.Zoom in: The current GOP rescissions package has a deadline of next Friday."That is a road Senate Republicans would be wise not to go down," Schumer said Tuesday on the Senate floor.Schumer doesn't view next week's expected vote as a red line. But the real concern among Dems is the GOP's desire to pursue even more rescission packages. President Trump has signaled such interest.Republicans are listening: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Wednesday that Schumer "implicitly threatened to shut down the government."The bottom line: Battleground Democrats told Axios they understood the deep frustration with Trump and GOP leaders, but they aren't united on the idea of using a possible shutdown as leverage."It's basically saying that the Congress has no power whatsoever and our appropriations process is worthless," Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) said of the GOP cuts. He was one of 10 Democrats to vote to fund the government earlier this year."It's incredibly frustrating to see this president want to renege on a bill that he signed into law," Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) told Axios after saying shutdowns should be avoided."Play stupid games, win stupid prizes," Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) told Axios.

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