Feb 9, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Democratic senator open to government shutdown as protest of Trump moves

Avery Lotz

Sen. Andy Kim stands outside the U.S. Agency for International Development headquarters. — Senator Andy Kim, a Democrat from New Jersey, outside The US Agency for International Development (USAID) headquarters in Washington, DC, on Monday, Feb. 3. Photo: Jason C. Andrew/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) said Sunday that he's open to joining Democrats in shutting down the government to protest the Trump administration's upheaval of federal agencies and funding.

Why it matters: Kim joins other Democrats concerned about helping Republicans push through a federal funding bill ahead of the March 14 deadline while Trump's administration looks to cut back some federal agencies and block federal funds.

In a letter to House Democrats, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) vowed to use the deadline as leverage to block Trump from halting or diverting congressionally appropriated funds.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters Friday that Jeffries appeared to be "trying to set up some sort of a government shutdown" — a claim Jeffries pushed back on.

Driving the news: Kim said Sunday on NBC News' "Meet the Press" that he won't "support efforts that will continue this lawlessness that we're seeing when it comes to this administration's actions," adding, "for us to be able to support government funding ... only for them to turn it around to dismantle the government, that is not something that should be allowed."

If the government does shut down, he said, "This is on them," noting, "They are the majority."
He said he is "the last person" who would want to see a shutdown occur but contended the country is "on the cusp of a constitutional crisis."

Zoom out: Democrats have protested the Trump administration's sledgehammer to federal agencies in several ways, from an overnight filibuster to multiple rallies in front of agencies that Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has looked into.

Democrats' offices have been flooded with calls from constituents demanding the party, which holds a minority in both chambers, do more to push back against the Trump administration.

Democrats unleashed a flurry of public acts of resistance in recent days, via impassioned speeches, letters and proposed legislation.

What's next: The federal funding deadline may be the next opportunity for Democrats in fighting against Trump's attempts to freeze funds and slash federal agencies, given the narrow majority the GOP holds in both the House and Senate.

Centrists Democrats who traditionally may have been opposed to using a government shutdown for leverage have signaled they could get behind the charge, Axios' Andrew Solender reports.
"[T]hey [Republicans] have for the last two years needed Democratic vote for every single continuing resolution. And they should not count on that this time around," Kim said on Sunday.

Go deeper: Trump brushes back Musk as Democrats plot DOGE resistance

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Democratic senator open to government shutdown as protest of Trump moves

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