House Democrats reportedly are considering shutting down the government over President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Trump last week asked the Republican-led Congress "to pass a clean, temporary government funding Bill ("CR") to the end of September."

Democrats see that legislation as "tacitly blessing" DOGE's staff and spending cuts, Politico reported.

As a result, senior House Democrats have been asking members whether they would be willing to shut the government down over DOGE, which is headed by Elon Musk.

"Nobody wants a shutdown, but they don't feel like aiding and abetting what's happening, with Musk and Trump taking a wrecking ball to healthcare in particular," one senior House Democrat aide told Politico. "Why would we be complicit in that?"

"At some point you've got to have a goddamn backbone. I am not giving them a blank check until September," a senior Democrat lawmaker told the outlet.

Congress faces a March 14 deadline to fund the government.

Democrats say they are trying to secure guarantees that would prevent Trump and Musk from firing more workers or canceling more government programs.

A CR only would cover a portion of the budget, funding agencies such as the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency. It would not address the country's rising borrowing costs or rapidly growing benefit programs like Social Security and Medicare.

Although polls have shown that voters say they approve of DOGE's work, Democrats might be willing to risk a shutdown.

"People now feel like the more perilous position is giving votes without the perception there's been any change in accountability," a second senior House Democrat aide told Politico. "The incentive structure right now is not to provide votes for them."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., leads a slim 218-215 majority and last year had to repeatedly turn to Democrats to pass legislation through the chamber, where a simple majority suffices.

Failure to reach a spending deal by March 14 would force the government to furlough hundreds of thousands of workers and shutter "nonessential" operations, such as financial regulation and trash pickup at national parks.

The last government shutdown was also the longest, ending in January 2019 after 35 days, as Trump during his first term in office and lawmakers clashed over his effort to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Reuters contributed this story.

• Trump: Will 'Tell It Like It Is' to Congress
• Speaker Johnson: House Will Qualify, Quantify, Codify DOGE Cuts