🚨Emergency Brief🚨 - The Collapse of Senate Democratic Resistance

Information, insight, and inspiration for resisting tyranny in America

Welcome!

We have not been posting on Fridays up to this point. However, developments in the Senate today demand a response. In our estimation, Senate Democrats collaborating with Republicans to allow what amounts to a mini Enabling Act to proceed to a vote marks a catastrophic collapse of resistance from Congressional Democrats. Here’s what happened, what it means for the resistance, and our take on the whole affair.

(Failed) Resistance Today

Congress & Lawmakers

Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, joined Republicans to avert a government shutdown, sparking outrage from progressives and democracy advocates who view this capitulation as a dangerous surrender that hands Trump and Musk unchecked power to dismantle federal institutions and weaken democratic guardrails. This development could mark a key tipping point in the Trump-Musk regime’s consolidation of authoritarian power as Congressional Democratic opposition has, for the moment, effectively collapsed.

What happened: Senate Democrats faced a critical decision as government funding was set to expire at midnight on March 14, 2025, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer dramatically reversing course after initially opposing the Republican-drafted funding bill. Despite days of signaling resistance, Schumer announced he would vote to advance the six-month funding measure, arguing that a shutdown would give Trump and Musk "permission to destroy vital government services at a significantly faster rate." Ten Senate Democrats ultimately joined Republicans in a 62-38 vote to advance the bill, which cuts non-defense spending by $13 billion while increasing defense spending by $6 billion. The decision created an immediate and profound rift within the Democratic Party, with House Democrats and progressive senators condemning the move as a complete capitulation that hands Trump and Musk a "blank check" to reshape the federal government according to their authoritarian vision. Progressive voices across social media expressed outrage, with many calling for Schumer's removal as Senate Democratic leader and vowing to withhold donations from those who voted for the bill.

Why it matters: This vote represents a catastrophic failure of democratic resistance against the growing authoritarian threat posed by the Trump administration. By capitulating to Republican demands without securing any concessions, Senate Democrats have surrendered one of their few remaining leverage points against Trump's agenda, enabling further dismantling of democratic institutions and civil service protections that form the backbone of American governance. The fracturing of Democratic unity undermines the party's ability to present a united front against authoritarian overreach, with progressives correctly arguing that this surrender signals to the public that Democrats lack the courage and conviction to fight for democratic principles when faced with difficult choices. The widespread anger from constituents visible in social media responses demonstrates how this betrayal damages grassroots energy and trust in Democratic leadership—essential components for effective resistance movements against authoritarian consolidation. This episode illustrates a classic authoritarian tactic: exploiting divisions within opposition parties by forcing them to choose between bad options, then using the resulting internal conflicts to further weaken resistance while advancing an agenda that systematically dismantles democratic safeguards and concentrates power in the executive branch.

The Headlines

• Schumer backs down, Democrats seethe

• Ten Senate Democrats cave to avert government shutdown

• Government shutdown averted as Democrats help Senate advance GOP spending bill

• Schumer backs down on fight against GOP's government funding bill as Democrats face reckoning over Trump strategy

• Democratic Party fractures in government shutdown fight, with anger running high

• Here Are the Democrats Who Voted to Avert a Shutdown

Our View

This is the combined and lightly edited text of a couple of threads that we posted to BlueSky last night as news broke that Senator Schumer would back out of his pledge, made only 24 hours prior, to vote against cloture on the GOP’s funding bill.

Democratic leaders in Congress are failing. But they are not alone. Governor Gavin Newsom of California, once a source of hope for resisting the United States’ slide into authoritarianism, is also engaged in appeasement and accommodation.

That their positions will fail is not a matter of mere opinion or preference. History shows clearly that such approaches are doomed to fail.

There must be a united front that is focused on one and only one goal: the restoration of democracy and the rule of law. Legitimate power is derived only from the consent of the governed (democracy) and in practice is restrained by the rule of law.

🛑 When those principles have been violated, everything else must stop until they are restored.

If Congress has abdicated the role given to it in the Constitution, which is what it is currently doing, there is no representation and no consent of the governed. The power we loaned to them with our vote, they are handing to Trump and Musk. But that power is not theirs to give away. That power is vested in us and only us.

The power Trump and Musk have already taken is illegitimate. It never belonged to them. But, even if Congress decides to give them that power -- which they just have -- it still does not belong to Trump or Musk. Why? Because, again, it was never Congress's to give away!

⚠️ At the point our elected representatives in Congress lay down the power we loaned to them or give it away, the U.S. government is no longer legitimate.

Does this sound "radical?" It is. Liberal government in the classical sense of the term was radical for its time and; as we are learning now, it still is.

Too many now see liberalism as bland and boring and the Founders as old dead white guys from a bygone age no longer relevant to our time. But the spirit of 1776 is the spirit of "Fuck you, the power is ours, not yours, and we're throwing your shit in the harbor about it!" Pretty radical!

If we're true to these radical principles -- especially that power is only ever on loan from us, the governed -- then they must apply to "our side" too. The party with "democrat" in its name is, at this moment, no strong ally to democracy. They have now officially failed their test. They must be discarded, at least in their current form.

‼️ We can no longer treat Democrats, as a group, as "our side" if by "our side" we mean those of us who subscribe to the principles of liberal democracy.

Those left in the party who understand these principles must form a new coalition to reintroduce and fight for those principles. This is the central mission right now. There is no appeasing or negotiating with forces bent on destruction and oligarchy.

Repeat it with us:

The power Trump and Musk wield now is illegitimate! 👏

Congress giving it to them or blessing it is illegitimate! 👏

SCOTUS saying it isn't illegitimate is illegitimate! 👏

🎯 Only reasserting to all political leaders, including and, especially, "our side," that power only legitimately resides with the governed, is a long term solution to the crisis we are experiencing.

One last thing…

Before we go, we want to thank all of you. As a result of your support, we have gained over 1,000 free subscribers in only three weeks. This is a number of free subscribers that usually takes, on average, 3 to 6 months to reach. We are truly humbled by the response. Thank you all so much for your kind words of encouragement, constructive feedback, and help with promoting our work. We are excited to continue our efforts to inform, educate, and inspire the resistance to Trump’s tyranny each day.