Op-Ed: Sarah Chamberlain: Why Schumer owns the coming shutdown
The President and CEO of the Republican Main Street Partnership explains why, if the government shuts down, it will be a Schumer Shutdown.
Washington is once again up against the wall. The fiscal year is ending, and Congress faces a simple choice: pass a short-term continuing resolution to keep the government open while appropriators finish their work, or stumble into a shutdown that punishes the very people we are supposed to serve. The responsible path is obvious.
This time, the blame for a shutdown would rest squarely on Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.). He has chosen delay and brinkmanship over progress. Meanwhile, the House has already acted.
House Republicans passed a clean seven-week continuing resolution to provide stability while the appropriations process moves forward. That is what governing looks like. If the lights go out, it will not be because the House failed. It will be because Senator Schumer refused to do his job.
Main Street Republicans have worked to restore discipline and order to the budget process. Our Members are focused on the issues families actually care about: securing the border, strengthening national defense, protecting Social Security and Medicare, and cutting the waste that drives inflation. These are not slogans. They are serious priorities advanced through the appropriations bills. The Senate has already shown it can move legislation when it chooses, passing three bills with broad bipartisan support. The problem is not the chamber or the process. The problem is Senator Schumer — who is being held hostage by the far left in his own party and would rather stage political fights than allow progress.
A short-term CR is not a gimmick. It is a practical step that gives lawmakers the time needed to finish the job responsibly. Everyone knows what happens when Washington blunders into a shutdown. Military families see paychecks delayed. Veterans wait longer for benefits. Small businesses that depend on federal contracts are left in limbo. And while federal employees eventually receive back pay, the restaurants, dry cleaners, and shops that count on their business never do. Their losses are permanent. None of this makes government more accountable. It only makes life harder for Americans who already feel squeezed by rising costs and economic uncertainty.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) and the House majority have already provided a path forward. With the clean CR passed, Congress is positioned to complete appropriations the right way. But governing requires two chambers. Instead of continuing bipartisan work, Senator Schumer has chosen to stall for political advantage. He has decided that creating a crisis is more useful than solving one. That is not leadership. It is theater.
The American people expect better. They want stability, predictability, and a government that keeps its commitments. They do not want Washington showdowns. They want solutions. That is what Main Street Republicans are offering. We are prepared to stay at the table and finish the job.
If Senator Schumer refuses to take up the House-passed CR, the consequences will be his alone. It will be his decision to put politics before responsibility, his choice to create a shutdown. Families struggling with the cost of groceries, gas, and housing should not be forced to carry the price of his political games.
America cannot afford another crisis. A short-term CR gives Congress the space to finish appropriations in a serious way. It protects Americans from the chaos of a shutdown and keeps the government functioning while lawmakers complete their work.
Main Street Republicans are committed to seeing that through. We want appropriations bills that reflect conservative priorities, rein in wasteful spending, and deliver results for the American people. Passing a short-term CR is the only way to make that possible. Anything else is a decision to shut down the government, and that decision belongs to Senator Schumer.
Sarah Chamberlain is the President and CEO of the Republican Main Street Partnership.