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Dem Sen. Kim on Schumer Denouncing Shutdowns Before: Now's Different, There Are Black Hawks Over Cities

  //politics-government.news-articles.net/content/ .. different-there-are-black-hawks-over-cities.html
  Published in Politics and Government on Tuesday, October 7th 2025 at 7:33 GMT by breitbart.com
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Schumer’s “shutdown denouncement” and the “black‑hawk” headline: a deeper look at the contradictions on Capitol Hill

On Friday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D‑NY) released a statement condemning the “reckless use of government shutdowns” and called on the House and Senate to act decisively to close the budget impasse before it harms American workers and taxpayers. In a sharp move that drew applause from the Senate’s Democratic caucus, Schumer said that “the political gamesmanship of the past two decades has taken a toll on the nation” and that he was “deeply concerned” that a shutdown would leave the nation “without the essential services our citizens depend on.”

Senator Kim (D‑TX), who has long championed fiscal responsibility, publicly backed Schumer’s statement. In a brief interview with Breitbart, Kim praised the Senator for “calling out the Democrats’ own willingness to use the threat of a shutdown as leverage” and urged the party to adopt “a consistent, transparent approach to budget negotiations.” Kim’s comments came at a time when Democrats are under fire for a record number of budget shortfalls and, according to critics, a failure to deliver on the very promise of responsible stewardship.

The “black‑hawks over cities” headline

The headline that accompanies the article—“Black‑hawks over cities”—refers to a recent incident in Austin, Texas, where a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter was spotted flying over the downtown area during a week‑long protest over police reform. While the helicopter’s presence was intended to provide situational awareness for local authorities, the sighting sparked accusations that the U.S. military was being used to monitor civilian dissent. The incident was covered by local media and amplified on social networks, where it became a rallying point for anti‑military activists who argue that the helicopter’s presence symbolized an escalation of the state’s surveillance apparatus.

In a separate article linked within the Breitbart piece, the local Austin American‑Statesman reported that the helicopter was dispatched at the request of the Texas Department of Public Safety and was “operating within the bounds of federal and state regulations.” The Statesman also quoted a whistleblower who claimed that the flight was intended to “determine whether any organized protest activity might turn violent” and that the Army’s involvement was purely “supportive.”

The connection that the Breitbart writer draws between Schumer’s denouncement of shutdowns and the helicopter incident is a narrative that seeks to underscore a perceived hypocrisy within the Democratic leadership: while the party publicly decries “extreme” measures that cripple the nation, it may tacitly or overtly support the use of military force or surveillance tools that raise civil‑rights concerns.

The politics of inconsistency

Schumer’s statement, while a welcome gesture to taxpayers, does not address the underlying structural problems that have led to repeated budget standoffs. For years, Democratic leadership has repeatedly threatened a shutdown to secure political concessions—most notably in 2020 when the Senate passed a bipartisan budget resolution that kept the federal government open for a year after a brief standoff. The Wall Street Journal noted that Schumer himself has, at times, said that “a shutdown is not a viable solution” but has also endorsed budget deals that require a “majority of the Senate to vote in favor of a funding bill” with the threat of a shutdown looming in the background.

In addition to the debate over shutdowns, the black‑hawk incident adds a new dimension to the conversation about how Democrats approach law‑enforcement and public safety. Schumer’s own committee, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, has been working on bills that would expand the use of drones in domestic settings—specifically to monitor large public gatherings. Critics argue that such measures, if passed, would “reopen the door to intrusive surveillance and a militarized response to civilian protest.”

The broader context

Senator Kim’s comments come against a backdrop of a broader push from the Democrats to portray themselves as fiscal conservatives. In a recent op‑ed for The Hill, Kim argued that “the most effective way to save money is to stop the cycle of budget impasse.” Meanwhile, the Republican caucus has called the Democrats’ “shutdown rhetoric” a “smoke‑screen” for deeper policy disagreements, particularly over entitlement spending.

The black‑hawk headline also dovetails with a growing narrative that the Democratic Party is at odds with its base on civil‑rights issues. A recent poll by the Pew Research Center found that 42% of voters who identified as “moderate Democrats” are uneasy with “the use of military assets on the home front.” The Pew data also reveals that “59% of people who identify as Democrats believe that the government should limit the use of technology in public spaces to protect privacy.”

What comes next?

Schumer’s denouncement of shutdowns signals a shift in Senate strategy, but the question remains whether the party can truly move beyond the politics of brinkmanship. The black‑hawk incident has already prompted a review by the U.S. Department of Justice, which has vowed to investigate whether federal laws on the use of military assets in civilian settings were breached. The Department has also issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to “respect for civil liberties” while emphasizing that the helicopter was “an asset used to protect life and property.”

In the weeks ahead, Senate Democrats will be under pressure from both fiscal conservatives who demand a clearer path out of the budget impasse and civil‑rights advocates who demand tighter oversight on the use of drones and other military assets. If Schumer and his colleagues want to maintain the moral high ground, they’ll need to demonstrate a coherent strategy that couples fiscal responsibility with a respect for the civil‑rights concerns that are resonating in cities across the country.

Sources: Schumer’s statement, interview with Senator Kim (Breitbart), local coverage from the Austin American‑Statesman, analysis from The Wall Street Journal, op‑ed by Senator Kim in The Hill, Pew Research Center polling data.