©  Greg Nash

THE PRESSURE IN CONGRESS has shifted to Senate Democrats, who must decide whether to risk a shutdown by voting against a six-month stopgap to fund the government or swallow a bitter pill and back the GOP’s funding patch.

The six-month continuing resolution (CR) that squeaked through the House is expected to get a vote in the Senate on Thursday, with the government set to shut down at the end of the week if a funding bill isn’t passed.

The GOP has a 53-47 majority in the Senate. With Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) expected to oppose the bill, Republicans will need eight Democrats to reach the 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster. 

Senate Democrats left a meeting Wednesday saying Republicans don’t have the votes needed to pass the CR. Democrats are demanding the GOP first allow a vote on a shorter-term 30-day CR that would provide more time for bipartisan negotiations.

“The votes are not there to proceed on their one-sided, Republican-only bill,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said.

Several Democrats have already announced they’re firmly against the GOP’s six-month CR, but pressure has mounted after it passed the House.

“I urge my Senate colleagues to vote against this bill,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said in a statement. “Instead, we should pass a short-term funding extension that allows us to finish the appropriations process and includes measures that defend our constitutionally mandated appropriations power from executive overreach.”

Other Senate Democrats from purple states appear more risk-averse at the moment.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who has emerged as a key swing vote, told The Hill’s Alexander Bolton that Democrats have no choice but to vote to keep the government open.

“If the Democrats think that they want to burn the village down to save it, that’s terrible optics and that’s going to have serious impacts for millions and millions of people,” Fetterman said. “I’m never going to vote for that kind of chaos.”

Others are worried that a shutdown could act as an accelerant for Elon Musk’s efforts to gut the federal workforce.

“We’re dealing with people — many of whom I suspect think a shutdown would be a good thing, and they could prolong it and use it to expand the president’s power even beyond what they’re already considering,” said Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who has not revealed how he’ll vote on the measure. “So that’s something that has to be considered. This isn’t normal.”

House Democrats stayed almost totally united in their opposition to the CR during Tuesday’s vote, with all but Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) voting against it.

Golden, a moderate who represents swing district, warned that “even a brief shutdown would introduce even more chaos and uncertainty at a time when our country can ill-afford it.”

But Democratic leaders in the House disagree and are urging Senate Democrats to kill the GOP funding bill.

“I wouldn’t expect senators to vote for this,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar (Calif.), the head of the House Democratic Caucus. “This is a bad bill. We did not negotiate this bill. They did not negotiate this bill… In the interest of our national security, in the interest of American families, they need to vote no and beat back this bill.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) posted on X:

“Defend Medicaid. Vote NO on Cloture. NO on bill.”

House Republicans are signaling they’re fine with that strategy, with the GOP campaign arm rolling out ads targeting Democrats who voted against the measure to fund the government.

Meanwhile, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) announced Wednesday she will not seek another term in 2026, as Democrats seek to hold onto a Senate seat in a purple state they narrowly carried in the 2024 election.

Former Vice President Harris won New Hampshire by fewer than 3 points against Trump in 2024 after President Biden won it by more than 7 points in 2020.

Shaheen is the third Senate Democrat to recently announce their retirement, joining Sens. Gary Peters (Mich.) and Tina Smith (Minn.).

It’s a tough map for Senate Democrats in 2026, with Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) running for reelection in a state Trump won in 2024 and now three incumbents stepping down.

💡Perspectives:

• The Hill: The public is losing patience with Trump.

• James Carville: Too many Democrats are losing their minds over Trump.

• Salon: Democrats should forget about having a united message.

• Los Angeles Times: Newsom may just talk himself to political death.

• Wall Street Journal: Why Generation Z embraced Trump.

Read more: 

• Senate Democrats appear ready to back down in shutdown fight.

• Johnson weighs options after Luna forces vote on parental proxy voting.

• Greenland opposition party wins election held in Trump’s shadow.

• The U.S. government is seeking to move Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil’s case from New York to Louisiana or New Jersey. 

• A federal judge temporarily froze parts of President Trump’s executive order targeting the law firm Perkins Coie.

©  Greg Nash

Inflation cooled during President Trump’s first month in office, but the trade wars disrupting the financial markets are proving to be a drag on his approval ratings.

The latest CNN-SSRS survey finds a majority of Americans — 56 percent —disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy. Only one month ago, a 53 percent majority of voters said they approved of Trump’s handling of the economy.

The latest:

Trump on Wednesday enforced a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum coming into the U.S., leading to threats of retaliatory tariffs from Canada and the European Union.

Canada is expected to respond with nearly $21 billion in retaliatory tariffs, while the European Commission plans to slap $28 billion in tariffs on iconic American products, including Harley-Davidson motorcycles, as well as bourbon and jeans.

Trump on Wednesday defended the tariffs after a reporter asked him about the levies going “on and off.”

“It’s called flexibility, it’s not called inconsistency,” Trump responded.

The U.S. is poised to impose reciprocal tariffs on all nations that have duties on American goods starting on April 2.

“I’ll always have flexibility,” Trump added. “But there will be very little flexibility once we start. April 2 is going to be a very big day for the United States of America.”

Republicans have largely stood behind Trump, but fiscal conservatives have little appetite for a prolonged trade war, even if they agree with the reasoning behind some of Trump’s moves.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) defended tariffs as a bargaining chip to address the flow of illegal drugs across the border, but he added:

“I hope these are temporary. I think the one thing that markets don’t like is uncertainty, and there’s obviously uncertainty around that tariff policy at the moment.”

On Tuesday, both Canada and the U.S. temporarily backed away from an impending set of tariffs. But the trade war kicked right back up with new tariffs Wednesday.

“It’s testing boundaries,” Sen. Thom Tills (R-N.C.) said. “The fits and starts are very, very disruptive to business. I don’t mind it, but we have to get to a steady state pretty soon.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) expressed frustration with Trump’s apparent disregard for the plight of longstanding U.S. allies.

“I don’t understand why President Trump is picking all of these kinds of tariffs with our allies… I don’t support these kinds of things because we have these incredible allies,” Fetterman said on MSNBC’s “The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle.” “There might be issues like fentanyl or some of those, but that doesn’t mean we have to punch them in the mouth, because that’s not making America great.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Quebec meeting with the Group of Seven, where the trade wars are certain to be top of mind. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will meet with Ontario Premier Doug Ford later this week.

💡Perspectives:

• The Wall Street Journal: How do you like the trade war now?

• The Free Press: MAGA’s tariff talking points are bound to backfire.

• RealClearPolitics: A new golden age for American aluminum workers.

• The Hill: Cracks emerge in the idea of America’s economic exceptionalism.

• The Hill: Elon Musk was right — Social Security is a Ponzi scheme.

Read more: 

• Republicans warn Trump not to let trade war drag.

• Trump sounds serious about bringing Canada into U.S.

©  Greg Nash

The Department of Education (DOE) fired about half its workforce as Education Secretary Linda McMahon begins her efforts to dismantle the agency entirely.

The department told staff in an email that its offices would be closed Wednesday for “security reasons.” 

McMahon told Fox News the layoffs are the first step in shuttering the department, although it would take an act of Congress to abolish it completely.

“[Trump’s] directive to me, clearly, is to shut down the Department of Education, which we know we’ll have to work with Congress, you know, to get that accomplished,” she said.

Trump said Wednesday that McMahon, not Elon Musk, made the decision to fire half the workforce.

“She cut a large number, but she kept the best people, and we’ll see how it all works out,” Trump said.

• The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch reports that U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employees and outside groups are fighting an order from the agency’s leadership to shred and burn its classified documents and personnel records.

“An email obtained by The Hill sent by USAID’s acting executive secretary instructs remaining employees at the dismantled agencies to ‘shred as many documents as possible first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break’.”

• CIA Director John Ratcliffe spoke with the head of Russia’s foreign intelligence agency this week, as the world waits on Russia to decide whether to agree to the 30-day ceasefire presented jointly by the U.S. and Ukraine.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says he’s “extremely skeptical” Russia will agree to the temporary truce. He says he’ll introduce “bone-breaking sanctions and tariffs” if Russia declines.

💡Perspectives:

• The Hill: Democrats’ hatred of Trump makes them their own worst enemies.

• USA Today: Get bureaucrats out of our schools.

• MSNBC: Trump’s Education Department crusade is a cowardly betrayal.

• The Hill: DOGE is already changing the spending process in Congress.

• The Liberal Patriot: The sorry state of U.S. cities is a choice.

Read more: 

• Rubio emerges as major Trump World player.

• Trump, Musk fuel fears of Social Security cuts with ‘fraud’ talk.

• Elon Musk’s White House role weighs on business empire.

• HUD rejects Asheville’s Helene recovery plan because of its DEI targets.

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