Senate Dems side with Schumer, sidestepping government shutdown



Senate Democrats caved and voted alongside Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), reaching across the aisle to pass the Republican-led continuing resolution Friday just hours before the funding deadline.

The CR advanced in a 62-38 vote, with 10 Democrats joining 52 Republicans to pass the funding bill.

In addition to Schumer, Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Gary Peters of Michigan, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine voted in support of the bill. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only GOP senator to vote against the CR.

Although the CR passed the House with a simple majority on Tuesday, the Senate required 60 votes for the CR to clear a procedural hurdle known as cloture. Because Republicans hold just 53 seats, they needed Democrats to join them and avert a shutdown.

'Democrats must not buy in to this false choice. We must fight back for a better way.'

While Democrats ultimately aided Republicans, many were furious with Schumer and other senators who sided with him to pass a Trump-backed funding bill.

Democrats, including Schumer, initially signaled that they would vote in lockstep to sink the CR and shut down the government. Many Democrats also proposed an alternative 30-day funding extension, which would allow them to negotiate a different CR. But Democrats are the minority party in both the House and the Senate, making this an unrealistic option.

Schumer quickly pivoted from his original advocacy for a shutdown and instead urged his colleagues to pass the CR, arguing that a shutdown is worse than an unfavorable funding package.

"It's not really a decision; it's a Hobson's choice," Schumer said in a floor speech Thursday. "Either proceed with the bill before us, or risk Donald Trump rowing America into the chaos of a shutdown. This, in my view, is no choice at all. While the CR bill is very bad, the potential for a shutdown has consequences for America that are much, much worse."

Schumer's reversal outraged his Democratic colleagues, sparking murmurs of potential primary challengers like Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

"I think it is a huge slap in the face, and I think that there's a wide sense of betrayal," Ocasio-Cortez told reporters Thursday.

It wasn't just the rank and file who were upset with Schumer. Without explicitly naming him, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) both disavowed Schumer's approach.

"House Democrats will not be complicit," Jeffries said. "We remain strongly opposed to the partisan spending bill under consideration in the Senate."

"Donald Trump and Elon Musk have offered the Congress a false choice between a government shutdown or a blank check that makes a devastating assault on the well-being of working families across America," Pelosi said in a statement Friday. "Let's be clear: Neither is a good option for the American people. But this false choice that some are buying instead of fighting is unacceptable."

"Democrats must not buy in to this false choice," Pelosi added. "We must fight back for a better way."

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Dems push Biden to extend deportation shields for illegal aliens in last-minute plea



A group of Democratic senators is relentlessly pushing President Joe Biden (D) to extend deportation protections to illegal aliens ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's upcoming term.

On Monday, seven senators sent a letter to Biden, urging him to redesignate Temporary Protected Status "for All Eligible Countries and Consider Providing Deferred Enforced Departure."

'At risk of being sent back to horrific conditions.'

TPS allows foreign nationals from designated countries to remain in the United States for a temporary period of time. Countries are added to the list when it is deemed unsafe for their citizens to return due to ongoing conflicts, environmental disasters, or other "extraordinary and temporary conditions."

Eligible individuals cannot be deported and may be granted work and travel authorizations during their stay.

According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, there are currently 17 countries designated for TPS, including Afghanistan, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela.

TPS status is slated to expire for the above-mentioned nations in 2025.

Over the past year, many violent gang members from Venezuela have infiltrated the U.S. and set up operations in several states. While the Democratic senators did not specifically call for TPS to be extended for Venezuelan nationals, their Monday letter indicated Biden should continue providing protections for "all eligible countries."

"We urge your administration to offer vital protections via TPS for eligible countries or parts of countries, providing relief from deportation while allowing these individuals to continue working and contributing to our economy. Where TPS is not an option, we strongly urge the administration to protect qualified vulnerable noncitizens through DED," the letter read.

In addition to granting TPS status to many countries, Biden also extended DED to foreign nationals from Lebanon, Hong Kong, and Palestine. Those protections are scheduled to expire in January 2026, February 2025, and August 2025 respectively.

The USCIS states that DED "is not a specific immigration status," but it shields eligible individuals from deportation.

Democratic senators also called for Biden to "Expedite the Processing of Benefit Requests for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Recipients" and "Prioritize Adjudication of Pending Asylum Claims."

The letter to the president was signed by Democratic Senators Richard Durbin of Illinois, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, and Alex Padilla of California.

On Wednesday, Cortez Masto, Ray Luján, and Padilla hosted a press conference, further pressuring Biden to act.

"There are thousands of immigrant families from countries who clearly qualify for TPS that are at risk of being sent back to horrific conditions," Cortez Masto stated. "Many of these immigrants, along with so many of our Dreamers, have been living and working in our communities for years. President Biden should act now to protect these immigrant communities and keep families together."

Trump has already indicated that he is willing to "work with the Democrats on a plan" that would allow Dreamers to remain in the U.S. and obtain legal status.

However, Cortez Masto stated during the press conference that she is skeptical Trump will follow through on that promise.

Luján said, "To ensure the safety and security of immigrant communities across the country, we are urging President Biden to take steps to designate, redesignate, and extend TPS for Ecuador, Nicaragua, and El Salvador, as well as expedite the process for DACA recipients to renew their status. I will not remain silent when it comes to protecting our immigrant families and will continue to fight to protect our most vulnerable."

Padilla called Trump's mass deportation plans "immoral" for "taking away lawful status and work authorization for these individuals." He claimed the effort would "be gutting critical sectors of our workforce."

There is currently no indication that the Biden administration plans to take the requested actions.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

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Supreme Court unanimously rejects ethics complaints by Democrats against Justice Clarence Thomas



The United States Supreme Court unanimously rejected ethics complaints about Justice Clarence Thomas by Democrats.

Sen Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter on April 20 requesting Chief Justice John Roberts appear for a hearing about potential conflicts of interest within the top court. The letter was signed by all 11 Democrats on the Judiciary Committee.

The letter follows a ProPublica article about Justice Clarence Thomas reportedly receiving gifts from a billionaire conservative donor and friend. Justice Thomas has denied any wrongdoing. Democrats have also targeted Justice Neil Gorsuch for alleged ethical lapses.

Durbin claimed that there is a "crisis of public confidence" in the Supreme Court, adding that the "status quo is no longer tenable."

"The time has come for a new public conversation on ways to restore confidence in the Court’s ethical standards," Durbin wrote.

Roberts fired off his own letter declining to appear for the hearing.

"I must respectfully decline your invitation," Roberts told Durbin. "Testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee by the Chief Justice of the United States is exceedingly rare as one might expect in light of separation of powers concerns and the importance of preserving judicial independence."

Roberts pointed out that Supreme Court justices have only testified before Congress for reasons other than nominations or appropriations on two occasions.

Then, all nine Supreme Court justices unanimously rejected Durbin's request.

"The undersigned Justices today reaffirm and restate foundational ethics principles and practices to which they subscribe in carrying out their responsibilities as Members of the Supreme 4 Court of the United States," the justices stated in a letter. "This statement aims to provide new clarity to the bar and to the public on how the Justices address certain recurring issues, and also seeks to dispel some common misconceptions."

"The Justices, like other federal judges, consult a wide variety of authorities to address specific ethical issues," the SCOTUS letter read. "They may turn to judicial opinions, treatises, scholarly articles, disciplinary decisions, and the historical practice of the Court and the federal judiciary. They may also seek advice from the Court's Legal Office and from their colleagues."

Durbin said on Thursday, "Supreme Court ethics reform must happen whether the Court participates in the process or not. It is time for Congress to accept its responsibility to establish an enforceable code of ethics for the Supreme Court, the only agency of our government without it."

Durbin asked Roberts to provide more details in writing regarding how the Supreme Court drafted its ethics statement and how it enforces it.

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