WASHINGTON — Democrats are looking to use any point of leverage they have to push Republicans into a corner and put a stop to President Donald Trump’s agenda — even if it means withholding support on legislation to keep the government funded.

Although Republicans hold majorities in both the House and Senate, Democrats are eyeing ways to capitalize on their GOP counterparts’ slim margins to rein in their power as Trump and his allies issue in a number of sweeping changes to the federal government. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the lower chamber, released a 10-point plan on Monday to counter those efforts — even going so far as to issue an ultimatum on government funding if certain demands aren’t met.

Jeffries specifically pointed to a recent effort by the Trump administration to freeze federal aid, warning that such an order must be “choked off” in the upcoming government funding deal, “if not sooner.” That could tank any measure to avoid a scheduled shutdown on March 14, as recent spending deals have required substantial Democratic support to pass.

“That bill has to be bipartisan,” Utah Rep. Blake Moore, who serves as the vice chair of the House GOP Conference, told the Deseret News. “So there’s a lot of things that we’re going to work with Democrats on to be able to advance that.”

Democrats eye government shutdown

Democrats are not ignorant of their lack of power in Congress. But several of them have pointed to that government funding deadline as key to their counter-strategy.

“I don’t know that it’s a point of leverage. It’s a fact,” Sen. Patty Murray, top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said on Monday. “On March 14, the government shuts down. Between now and then, we have to have an agreement — bipartisan — that goes through Congress, that is passed by the House and by the Senate.”

But with that, Murray posed a warning: If Republicans don’t seek a bipartisan path forward, they can take the fall for a shutdown.

That could put Republicans in a real time crunch. Democrats are scheduled to leave town for their annual retreat March 12-15, coinciding with the government shutdown deadline. So if lawmakers can’t come to an agreement before then, it remains unclear if Democrats will stick around or leave the work for Republicans to straighten out.

“The level of trust is at the lowest I have ever seen it here in Congress — in our ability to work together, and find a compromise and get it passed,” Murray said.

Democrats target DOGE

Democrats in the House and Senate are also preparing to introduce legislation specifically targeting recent action by the Department of Government Efficiency to access the Treasury’s payment system, which disburses money on behalf of the entire federal government. Control over that system also gives DOGE — and its head, Elon Musk — access to sensitive personal information about anyone who receives Social Security checks, tax refunds, or other payments from the federal government.

That has raised concerns among Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who argue Trump has allowed a “small group of unelected people … to run rampant through the executive branch.”

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In response, Democratic leaders said Tuesday they will introduce a bill to “prevent unlawful meddling in the Treasury Department’s payment systems” that would crack down on who can access that information.

The bill would deny access to any “special government employee” — the title bestowed upon Musk as he heads the newly created DOGE — who does not disclose their conflicts of interest; block access to anyone with an apparent conflict of interest or lack of appropriate government clearance; and it would add personal tax information to current privacy protections.

Democrats are calling their proposal “Stop The Steal” — a jab at Trump supporters who have used that phrase to challenge the results of the 2020 election.

The minority party has vowed a slew of other actions in an attempt to slow down Republicans’ agenda, such as assisting in outside litigation efforts challenging Trump’s executive orders to end birthright citizenship, fire inspectors general, and freeze federal aid already approved by Congress, among others. As of Monday, there are more than 20 lawsuits challenging at least 11 executive orders.

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