Ten Senate Democrats handed Republicans a critical victory, voting in favor of cloture on a finances that can permit the Trump Administration to proceed wielding finances cuts as a political weapon — focusing on the administration’s opponents, together with trans and queer folks. The finances slashes Medicaid, dealing a direct blow to susceptible constituents, whereas additional entrenching the administration’s consolidation of energy. The backlash from throughout the social gathering was swift, with figures starting from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Nancy Pelosi condemning those that crossed the aisle. But some have rushed to defend the vote, insisting that Democrats had no actual selection — that avoiding a authorities shutdown was the precedence, and that Republicans are the true villains right here. However this protection falls aside below scrutiny. Would these similar voices excuse a vote that greenlit anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans amendments, restrictions on mifepristone, or perhaps a complete abortion ban? The place, precisely, is the road?
Name every of those Senators to NOT vote with the GOP & as a substitute develop a backbone. Every quantity begins with 202-224
Schumer – 6542
Hassan – 3324
Peters – 6221
Durbin – 2152
Schatz – 3934
King – 5344
Shaheen – 2841
Fetterman – 4254
Cortez Masto – 3542
Gillibrand – 4451— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@qasimrashid.com) March 13, 2025 at 11:34 PM
In current months, worry of Republican hostage-taking has pushed a wave of capitulation, with establishments and people alike complying with administration insurance policies — even when these insurance policies are blocked in courtroom. Nowhere is that this extra evident than in what the transgender neighborhood has endured. Hospital programs have abandoned gender-affirming care, citing the chance to their authorities grants, their worry of Trump’s administration outweighing their willingness to combat. Even LGBTQ+ health centers have erased gender-affirming care resources, afraid that merely acknowledging such care may jeopardize their federally certified well being heart standing. Time and again, we see the identical sample: compliance disguised as pragmatism, retreat framed as technique. And to those that justify it, the query stays — the place is your line?
When a handful of Democrats voted to advance the Republican finances, they justified it by claiming the choice — a authorities shutdown — was too steep a value to pay. However within the chaos of the Trump administration, that declare doesn’t maintain up. Markets are already crumbling, Elon Musk is slashing important packages with no oversight, and dysfunction defines the federal authorities. Even when Republicans tried to pin the shutdown on Democrats, the messaging writes itself: We won’t vote for a finances that offers Elon Musk the facility to behave as an unelected king, nor will we permit Medicaid to be gutted. However they didn’t even attempt. As a substitute, they retreated — the one time they’d actual energy, actual leverage, and an opportunity to push again. Apparently, Medicaid and Musk weren’t their line.
As anticipated, a small however influential refrain of pundits is speeding to excuse the Democrats who voted to advance the Republican finances, arguing that criticism must be directed solely on the GOP. On the floor, the logic appears sound — in any case, much more Republicans than Democrats supported the invoice. However this framing ignores a crucial truth: had Democrats held the road as a unified caucus, the invoice wouldn’t have handed. Had management really whipped the votes, the invoice wouldn’t have handed. Republicans completely deserve blame, and readers of my e-newsletter know I don’t hesitate to name them out. However the getaway driver is simply as culpable. We count on Democrats to champion these in want, to combat in opposition to Musk and Trump’s creeping despotism, and — on the naked minimal — to have a line they won’t cross.
If defending Medicaid and democracy isn’t their line, what does that imply for the problem I’ve devoted my life to — reporting on efforts to guard LGBTQ+ folks? If confronted with a finances that guts transgender healthcare, bans gender-affirming take care of youth, and strips funding from any group or examine that even mentions transgender folks, would these similar Democrats not provide the identical excuse? What occurs when the subsequent finances consists of any of the 50 anti-LGBTQ+ poison pill riders which have surfaced in previous proposals, and that can virtually definitely return? What does this precedent imply for any marginalized neighborhood that may be focused the identical means? It’s not onerous to think about a world the place Democrats who didn’t maintain the road for Medicaid received’t maintain it for trans healthcare both. Let’s be trustworthy: if it’s our rights on the chopping block in a authorities shutdown combat, they received’t combat for us, and that has been made clear.
We don’t need to think about this situation — it has already occurred. Simply months in the past, Democrats passed the National Defense Authorization Act with a provision banning Tricare from masking transgender troops’ surgical procedures, in addition to blocking gender-affirming take care of the kids of service members. Whereas I reported extensively on it, many remained silent. Democratic management — the identical management that simply voted to advance this finances — refused to even permit their own senators to vote on an modification stripping out the anti-trans provisions.
For these defending the actions of the ten overtly complicit Democrats, the place is your line? Would you provide the identical justifications if ten Democrats voted for a complete abortion ban, insisting properly, we needed to preserve the federal government open? What a couple of invoice defunding public faculties? A ban on clear vitality? Take the problem you care about most, push it to its furthest excessive — as a result of everybody has a line. Or possibly not. Possibly the true worry amongst these making excuses isn’t about Republican atrocities in any respect. Possibly it’s the uncomfortable reality that we now have work to do in our personal social gathering.
This piece was republished with permission from Erin In The Morning.
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