Government Shutdown Averted: Senate Passes GOP Funding Bill—Despite Democratic Infighting

Topline

The Senate passed a GOP-backed spending plan to keep the government up and running through September, almost certainly averting a government shutdown, with multiple Senate Democrats—including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.—voting to advance the bill despite backlash from House Democrats.

Key Facts

The Senate voted 54-46 to pass the bill Friday evening, sending it to President Donald Trump’s desk ahead of a midnight deadline to avert a government shutdown.

Earlier Friday, Schumer and nine other Democrats voted to invoke cloture on the bill, a key procedural move that allowed it to move to a final vote—opting against filibustering the bill and denying it the 60 votes that it needed to move to final passage, which likely would’ve led to a shutdown.

Senate Democrats who moved the bill forward did so despite resistance from House Democrats, who near-unanimously opposed the bill when it passed the House on Tuesday in a 217-213 vote, with one Republican opposed and one Democrat supporting it.

Senate rules put Democrats in the upper chamber in a precarious position as there are only 53 Republicans in the Senate and 60 votes are needed to break the filibuster and advance the bill to a final vote—meaning Democrats risked being blamed for a shutdown if the bill failed.

The bill largely extends the current fiscal year 2024 government funding plan through the end of September, with a $13 billion cut to nondefense spending and a $6 billion increase in defense spending.

Chief Critic

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., issued a veiled attack against Schumer after the Senate minority leader said Thursday he would approve the bill, defying House Democrats who opposed it. Jeffries declined to defend Schumer when asked if “it is time for new leadership in the Senate,” telling reporters, “next question,” adding, “I look forward to reporting back to all of you” after he’s had conversations with Schumer’s constituents in New York over the weekend. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also urged Senate Democrats to reject the bill on Friday, calling it a “false choice between a government shutdown or a blank check,” echoing concerns from some Democrats that the bill would allow the Trump administration to spend—and freeze—funding without congressional guardrails.

Contra

Schumer has defended his decision to advance the GOP spending bill, criticizing the bill’s contents but arguing a government shutdown would give Trump and his allies even broader authority to halt federal programs that they dislike.

Key Background

House Republicans united behind the bill after some initial resistance from the usual GOP fiscal hawks who typically oppose short-term funding bills, citing their desire for steeper cuts, with a number of members pointing to the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency’s ongoing work to reduce the size of the government workforce in voting for the six-month spending plan. One Republican, Rep. Tom Massie, R-Ky., voted against it, drawing repeated attacks from Trump, who urged Republicans to approve the plan. Trump, taunting Schumer, publicly congratulated him on Friday after he expressed plans to vote for it.

Further Reading

Government Shutdown: Trump Tells Schumer ‘Congratulations’ For Letting GOP Spending Bill Pass (Forbes)

House Approves Spending Bill Ahead Of Government Shutdown Deadline (Forbes)

Trump Feuds With ‘Grandstander’ GOP Rep. Massie For Defying Anti-Government Shutdown Bill (Forbes)