Democrats Show Their Hand in Attempt to Force a Government Shutdown

By Bonchie | 12:51 PM on September 30, 2023

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If anyone was vapid enough to believe that Democrats actually wanted to avoid a government shutdown, this latest news should fully disabuse them of that notion.

Democrats moved on Saturday to adjourn until Monday with just 12 hours left on the shutdown clock. That comes after Speaker Kevin McCarthy proposed a "clean" continuing resolution to keep the government open for another 45 days.

It’s a Hail Mary pass.

McCarthy says he’ll put a clean, 45-day CR on the floor under suspension of the rules to avoid a shutdown at midnight.

It would take a 2/3rds vote to pass, requiring bipartisanship.
— Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) September 30, 2023

So what is the reason that Democrats want to wait until Monday, forcing a government shutdown in the meantime? They claim that they need time to read the 71-page bill.

House Democrats just made a motion to adjourn—til MONDAY.

The government shuts down in 12 hours.
— Caleb Smith (@CalebJSmith) September 30, 2023

It's just astonishing to see the party that previously gave 12-hour deadlines to vote on 2500+ page omnibus bills suddenly claiming they need multiple days to read a bill that your average elementary student could read in a couple of hours. That certainly shows their hand, doesn't it? Clearly, Democrats want a shutdown, and they aren't willing to make even the most basic concessions to avoid one. Logically, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his caucus now own responsibility. Republicans put up a clean CR and they are trying to avoid even voting on it.

So why is this happening? Part of it has to do with Virginia's major elections set to occur in November. Republicans are in a position to retake the legislature there, and Democrats are pulling out all the stops to prevent Gov. Glenn Youngkin from attaining even more power to enact lasting change in the once deep-blue state.

Still, I'm not so sure that a shutdown forced by Democrats wanting to adjourn until Monday will be blamed on Republicans by most voters. This seems like a gambit rife with the possibility of backfiring.