Senate Votes To Advance GOP Funding Bill, Likely Avoiding Government Shutdown

The Senate voted to advance a Republican-written bill to fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year, a process that has exposed a major fissure between Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and other members and activists irate that the party isn’t doing more to try to stop Donald Trump.

The vote to proceed was 62-38, triggering a process that is expected to lead to passage of the funding bill later today and avoid a shutdown. Lawmakers had a deadline of midnight on Saturday.

Schumer angered many Democrats when he announced on Thursday that he would vote to proceed with the legislation, and he reiterated his position on the floor this afternoon. He said that although the funding legislation was a bad bill, blocking it would risk a shutdown that could accelerate Trump and Elon Musk‘s cuts of wide swaths of the federal government. Nine other Democrats joined with him, helping Republicans reach the 60-vote threshold to avoid a filibuster.

Schumer’s position triggered calls online for a change in party leadership, while House Democratic leaders made a point of holding a press conference this afternoon to warn of the funding bill and its cuts to veterans and health care. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declined to answer as to whether he still had confidence in Schumer’s leadership.

A number of activists say that Democrats squandered an opportunity to use what little leverage they have, given Republican majorities in both chambers, to block Trump and Musk.