A Rare Moment of Leverage

Bloomberg: “Schumer’s move gives Democrats a rare moment of leverage in a Washington where Republicans control the House, the Senate, the White House and the Supreme Court. Trump has waged a global trade war, deployed troops in cities, slashed the federal work force and withheld funding for states, cities and health care research, mostly by executive order. Congressional Republicans, meanwhile, passed Trump’s massive tax and spending package under special procedures that required no Democratic votes.”

“But to fund the government — Congress’s primary job — Republicans need 60 votes in the Senate to end a filibuster. There are just 53 Republican senators, giving the chamber’s 47 Democrats outsize influence in this debate.”