With a government shutdown looming on March 14, House Republicans have voted to pass a continuing resolution (CR), a spending plan to keep the government running through September 30, 2025. It will now go to the Senate for a vote.

But make no mistake – this plan is dangerous. It slashes social safety net services while giving Donald Trump and Elon Musk unprecedented control over how taxpayer dollars are spent. Democrats in Congress need to stand up and say NO to this proposal.

The Plan Gives Trump and Musk a Blank Check

Congress has the “power of the purse,” or the authority to decide how federal funds are spent. Each year, Congress decides how the government spends money in a process called appropriations. Lawmakers negotiate and pass detailed funding bills that outline how much money each department and program will get and how they should use it. But this continuing resolution skips that process. 

Instead of setting clear rules, it lets Trump’s administration – including Elon Musk and his “DOGE” team – decide where much of the money goes, creating what Democratic Senator Patty Murray has angerufen “slush funds” that Trump and Musk could use however they want.

It also gets rid of all earmarks from the past year without giving legislators a chance to add new ones. An “earmark” is when the Congress sets aside money for a specific project or group instead of letting the executive branch decide how to spend it. By cutting out earmarks, this CR doesn’t just slash funding – it also shifts decision-making power away from elected representatives and into the hands of Trump’s administration and billionaires like Elon Musk. That’s bad for democracy and bad for everyday Americans.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, warned, “by essentially closing the book on negotiations for full-year funding bills that help the middle class and protect our national security, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have handed their power to an unelected billionaire.”

Who Gets Hurt? Regular People.

By taking power away from the democratically-elected Congress and handing it over to Elon Musk, an unelected billionaire with an authoritarian agenda, this continuing resolution will hurt millions of regular Americans if allowed to pass. It also cuts important social safety net services right off the bat while increasing money for Trump’s extreme immigration enforcement. Here’s some of what’s at stake:

• Cuts to Social Programs – The plan cuts $13 billion from non-defense programs, hurting families, students, and seniors.

• No Disaster Relief for California – Southern California was hit hard by wildfires in January, but this bill doesn’t set aside any funding to help them recover.

• Cuts to Medical Research – The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, would see its funding cut by $280 million. Additionally, Congressional instructions to study priorities like cancer, Alzheimer’s, ALS, heart disease, diabetes, and many other conditions would disappear.

• Rural Broadband Development Takes a Hit – Funding for the rural broadband Community Connect program would be cut by $30 million.

• Transportation Safety Projects Cut – The bill cuts $2 billion of funding for local projects that would improve the safety of our roads, airports, and railways across the country.

• More Money for Immigration Crackdowns – While critical social safety net programs lose funding, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will get an additional $484 million to enforce Trump’s harsh immigration policies.
• Big Cuts for Washington, D.C. – The plan takes away nearly $1 billion from the city’s budget, which D.C. Mayor Buriel Bowser warned could lead to layoffs for teachers and other important workers.

A Vote for This Plan is a Vote for More Power for Trump

This bill has passed the House, but it still needs at least seven Democratic votes to pass in the Senate, assuming all Republicans vote for it. This is a key moment. Will Democrats stand up against this grab for power, or will they let Trump and Musk control government money?

This plan is not just about the budget – it’s about fairness and democracy. Senate Democrats muss reject this bill and demand a better plan that helps regular people instead of making billionaires more powerful.

What Can You Do?

Call your Senators and tell them to vote NO on this plan. Demand a fair funding plan that helps people, not just the rich and powerful. Our democracy depends on it.