Senate Dems preserve shutdown leverage over Trump, GOP

Top Democrats supported the first appropriations bill of the summer Tuesday night, but they aren't taking a government shutdown off the table in October.

Why it matters: The procedural vote on the MilCon-VA bill was 90-8. But those numbers are slightly deceiving.

• They don't capture the Democrats' frustration over rescissions — and fear and misgivings about the appropriations process to come.

What they're saying: "There's the CR issues, and then there's today's issues," Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) told Axios. "I would just separate those for now."'

• "It's just a motion to proceed, and we look forward to the amendment process," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said.
• "We're making these decisions vote by vote as is our responsibility to do," Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told Axios.

Driving the news: In the end, only seven Democrats voted against moving forward with the funding bill.

• That gave leaders the space to make the distinction between supporting normal appropriations bills and a continuing resolution they will almost certainly confront in September.
• "It was done in a bipartisan process, no doubt about it," Schumer said. "It undoes many of the awful DOGE cuts to veterans."
• And the vote on Tuesday only opened debate on the bill, which Democrats haven't committed to supporting in the end.

What to watch: Schumer was expected to huddle Tuesday night with top Senate and House Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), to discuss government funding.

Zoom out: Democrats are divided on how much to help Republicans fund the government — and when and where to fight them on the principles that animate their party.

• Some progressive senators are vowing to withhold their votes on spending bills unless they receive ironclad assurances that Republicans won't pursue any more rescissions packages.
• "Why would anyone trust the Republicans at this point?" Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told Axios.

Zoom in: Some GOP appropriators seem sympathetic to the Democratic complaints about the role rescissions can play in the appropriations process.

• Democrats have a "valid concern" about making spending deals just to be undone through rescissions, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said last week.

The bottom line: Senate Democrats don't have to decide in July whether they want to risk shutting down the government in October.

• However, they need their threat to be credible to convince GOP leaders to include them in spending decisions and ward off a second rescissions package.