White House Mocks Democrats Over Shutdown: 'They're Totally Screwed'
The administration believes that the opposition is on the verge of facing a major setback.
TroibNews 
Senate Democrats are still holding their ground against a potential government shutdown, but White House officials are already reveling in what they believe will be a major embarrassment for them, almost daring the Democrats to cast a “no” vote.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer took a strong stance on Wednesday, asserting that the Republicans lack the necessary 60 votes to prevent the government from shutting down after Friday. However, President Donald Trump and senior White House officials are growing increasingly confident that Schumer will allow enough centrists to support the passage, according to various sources I spoke with in the White House over the last 24 hours.
“They're 100 percent gonna swallow it,” one White House official said. “They’re totally screwed.”
This boldness is particularly notable given that Schumer has not yet revealed his strategy. Lawmakers from both parties are quietly suggesting that a compromise may be on the horizon, wherein Senate Democrats could secure amendment votes in exchange for supporting the House-passed “continuing resolution.”
Nonetheless, the outcome is still uncertain. With considerable pressure from their base to oppose Trump, there's ample opportunity for Democrats to walk back a potential agreement before the impending deadline on Friday.
In many ways, the administration appears eager for a shutdown, almost challenging Democrats to take action. Last month, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought instructed agencies to provide plans for “large-scale reductions in force” by Thursday. These details could emerge just hours before a shutdown, likely igniting further anger from the Democratic base.
Republicans have shown enough confidence to move forward with the so-called “CR,” which includes several provisions that favor their side, such as increased defense and deportation spending, along with minor cuts and restricting Democrats' ability to force votes on Trump’s contentious tariff policies.
The White House's demeanor suggests a level of over-confidence that leans toward arrogance. In typical standoffs like this, administrations usually engage in outreach to the opposition party, but that hasn’t been the case with Trump. Rather than offering any conciliatory gestures, the president chose to use a recent meeting with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin to launch personal attacks on Schumer, stating that he’s “no longer Jewish” and labeling him a Palestinian.
Despite needing eight Senate Democrats for this legislation to pass, the White House has yet to reach out to any of them.
The underlying reason for this approach is that White House officials believe Trump and the GOP would come out on top in any shutdown scenario. While Vice President JD Vance did tell House Republicans privately this week that the GOP would bear the blame for a shutdown since they control the government, these remarks seemed more geared toward encouraging GOP lawmakers to support the CR than accurately reflecting the administration's perspective.
On the contrary, White House officials boldly asserted that, while Elon Musk has faced criticism for letting go of tens of thousands of workers, it will be the Democrats who receive the blame if more than 2 million federal employees are furloughed, tax returns are delayed, and various benefits and programs come to a halt due to a shutdown.
“The margin we put up [Tuesday] in the House, they completely own it if they shut down the government. And if they do shut down … they'll get colossally murdered for it,” the aforementioned official remarked. “It was an epic jam.”
Another reason for the White House's lack of concern regarding a shutdown is that senior officials believe that, when funds run dry, the Trump administration—particularly Vought, a longtime conservative known for his cost-cutting ethos—would have unprecedented discretion to decide which agencies remain operational.
This notion holds some truth, as I pointed out in a column last month, arguing to Democrats that the shutdown fight isn't the strategic leverage they think it is. A federal bureaucrat established the modern guidelines for operating during a shutdown in 1980, and another bureaucrat could revise those rules for their advantage.
It's not difficult to envision Musk wielding his chainsaw while Vought grabs a hammer.
“Musk in charge of furloughs in a shutdown? He'd be giddy. He'd be beside himself with joy,” the official quipped.
A shutdown instigated by Democrats would also pose difficulties for the party for another reason: After spending weeks criticizing Trump and Musk for undermining government operations, Democrats would find themselves in the paradoxical position of having to explain how they were safeguarding the government by shutting it down.
Convincing anyone outside the Democratic base of that argument could prove challenging.
However, while many Senate Democrats might agree with this assessment, there's a chance that Trump and the White House could overreach. With Friday night still a ways off, if they continue to provoke the opposition, it’s possible that the bear might just retaliate.
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer took a strong stance on Wednesday, asserting that the Republicans lack the necessary 60 votes to prevent the government from shutting down after Friday. However, President Donald Trump and senior White House officials are growing increasingly confident that Schumer will allow enough centrists to support the passage, according to various sources I spoke with in the White House over the last 24 hours.
“They're 100 percent gonna swallow it,” one White House official said. “They’re totally screwed.”
This boldness is particularly notable given that Schumer has not yet revealed his strategy. Lawmakers from both parties are quietly suggesting that a compromise may be on the horizon, wherein Senate Democrats could secure amendment votes in exchange for supporting the House-passed “continuing resolution.”
Nonetheless, the outcome is still uncertain. With considerable pressure from their base to oppose Trump, there's ample opportunity for Democrats to walk back a potential agreement before the impending deadline on Friday.
In many ways, the administration appears eager for a shutdown, almost challenging Democrats to take action. Last month, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought instructed agencies to provide plans for “large-scale reductions in force” by Thursday. These details could emerge just hours before a shutdown, likely igniting further anger from the Democratic base.
Republicans have shown enough confidence to move forward with the so-called “CR,” which includes several provisions that favor their side, such as increased defense and deportation spending, along with minor cuts and restricting Democrats' ability to force votes on Trump’s contentious tariff policies.
The White House's demeanor suggests a level of over-confidence that leans toward arrogance. In typical standoffs like this, administrations usually engage in outreach to the opposition party, but that hasn’t been the case with Trump. Rather than offering any conciliatory gestures, the president chose to use a recent meeting with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin to launch personal attacks on Schumer, stating that he’s “no longer Jewish” and labeling him a Palestinian.
Despite needing eight Senate Democrats for this legislation to pass, the White House has yet to reach out to any of them.
The underlying reason for this approach is that White House officials believe Trump and the GOP would come out on top in any shutdown scenario. While Vice President JD Vance did tell House Republicans privately this week that the GOP would bear the blame for a shutdown since they control the government, these remarks seemed more geared toward encouraging GOP lawmakers to support the CR than accurately reflecting the administration's perspective.
On the contrary, White House officials boldly asserted that, while Elon Musk has faced criticism for letting go of tens of thousands of workers, it will be the Democrats who receive the blame if more than 2 million federal employees are furloughed, tax returns are delayed, and various benefits and programs come to a halt due to a shutdown.
“The margin we put up [Tuesday] in the House, they completely own it if they shut down the government. And if they do shut down … they'll get colossally murdered for it,” the aforementioned official remarked. “It was an epic jam.”
Another reason for the White House's lack of concern regarding a shutdown is that senior officials believe that, when funds run dry, the Trump administration—particularly Vought, a longtime conservative known for his cost-cutting ethos—would have unprecedented discretion to decide which agencies remain operational.
This notion holds some truth, as I pointed out in a column last month, arguing to Democrats that the shutdown fight isn't the strategic leverage they think it is. A federal bureaucrat established the modern guidelines for operating during a shutdown in 1980, and another bureaucrat could revise those rules for their advantage.
It's not difficult to envision Musk wielding his chainsaw while Vought grabs a hammer.
“Musk in charge of furloughs in a shutdown? He'd be giddy. He'd be beside himself with joy,” the official quipped.
A shutdown instigated by Democrats would also pose difficulties for the party for another reason: After spending weeks criticizing Trump and Musk for undermining government operations, Democrats would find themselves in the paradoxical position of having to explain how they were safeguarding the government by shutting it down.
Convincing anyone outside the Democratic base of that argument could prove challenging.
However, while many Senate Democrats might agree with this assessment, there's a chance that Trump and the White House could overreach. With Friday night still a ways off, if they continue to provoke the opposition, it’s possible that the bear might just retaliate.
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
