Legislators and staff on Capitol Hill express skepticism about reaching a deal to end the government shutdown before large-scale anti-Trump rallies hit Washington D.C. next week.
The ‘No Kings’ demonstration, scheduled for October 18, is anticipated to attract thousands. Organizers describe it as a powerful statement against President Donald Trump’s ‘authoritarian takeover’ and aim to intensify pressure on Democrats to impede his administration’s actions.
Any capitulation by Senate Democrats before then is only expected to exacerbate liberal outrage, say the Daily Mail’s sources on Capitol Hill.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer from New York, who might face a serious primary challenge from progressive Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez in 2028, is certain to face demands to resist Trump’s initiatives.
‘They are undermining their own side,’ a senior Republican aide in the Senate conveyed to the Daily Mail, forecasting that the longer the shutdown persists, the more accountability will fall on the Democrats.
‘If I were the ‘No Kings’ guys, I’d be saying we need to move this [protest] up to, like, the 13th or 14th,’ the Republican aide added.
An upcoming protest is on Democrats’ radar as they try to find a way to fund the government
The map for the ‘No Kings’ protest spans hundreds of cities across the nation, with Washington, D.C., anticipated to be the central hub of the event. Democratic representatives are taking note and may feel the heat to stay firm if the government remains closed.
The top Senate Republican John Thune noted how the upcoming protest will put pressure on Democrats
Nevada’s Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto expressed to the Daily Mail her assurance that her peers are keenly observing the ‘No Kings’ protest developments.
She is one of the three Democratic senators who have bucked Schumer and voted alongside Republicans to fund the government and end the shutdown. Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Angus King, I-Maine, have also voted with the GOP.
‘I think that the Democrats are under a ton of pressure from their far-left base,’ Senate Majority Leader John Thune told the Daily Mail. ‘They’ve got a big rally out here on October the 18th.’
‘A bunch of liberal groups are organizing it, and I think they’re afraid, honestly, to open up the government and the kind of abuse they’ll take,’ he added.
A sixth vote to reopen the government failed on Wednesday by a margin of 54 to 45. At least 60 votes are needed for any funding bill to pass.
President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers have blamed Democrats for the government shutdown. A GOP-authored spending bill has failed to pass the Senate due to liberal legislators voting against it. It needs 60 votes to pass
The top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, has repeatedly demanded that an ACA subsidy extension be attached to any government funding bill.
Demonstrators take part in a protest against the Trump administration during the ‘No Kings’ national rally in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 14, 2025
Few Democrats have been publicly forthcoming about the pressure they feel.
Fetterman, who has repeatedly voted to reopen the government, told the Daily Mail the shutdown has caused chaos that impacts millions of US citizens.
‘You really shouldn’t hold it hostage,’ he said. ‘It’s getting more and more difficult to be a voice of moderation.’
Schumer and Democrats have said over and over that they would not vote to reopen the government until the ACA, or Obamacare, subsidies are renewed before they expire at the end of December.
Tens of millions of Americans rely on these subsidies for low-cost insurance. If they are not renewed, some Americans could see their insurance costs double, or worse.
A Secret Service Agent guards the entrance to the White House as thousands march through Washington D.C. in protest of Donald Trump’s use of federal agents and the National Guardsmen to conduct policing actions throughout the city
‘I would be very disappointed if I end up as the lone Democrat who believes both: it’s always wrong to shut the government down but fully supports to extend these ACA tax credits.’ Fetterman continued.
Republicans, meanwhile, have argued that government funding bills should not be tethered to healthcare reform legislation.
And they are not eager to engage with Democrats, who they believe started the shutdown with their healthcare demands.
In fact, some would rather let them reap what they sowed.
‘There’s not much to talk about,’ Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told the Daily Mail. ‘We can’t solve Chuck Schumer’s political problems that he’s got.’
As the shutdown heads into a ninth day, it is increasingly seeming like it will drag on well into October.
The longest government shutdown in history came during Trump’s first term and stretched for 35 days between December 2018 and January 2019.
