Enough Senate Democrats put their disdain for President Trump aside and voted Friday to end a filibuster of a Republican stopgap spending bill to prevent a government shutdown at midnight.
Senate Republicans needed support from at least eight Democrats to clear the 60-vote threshold for the bill to survive and they got 10.
But only two, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Angus S. King Jr. of Maine, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, voted for the bill on final passage. That vote was 54-46. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was the only Republican to vote “no.”
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York was one of the Democrats who voted to end a filibuster on the bill, drawing pushback from progressive groups and dozens of House Democrats who wanted him to put up a fight.
Senate Democrats who opposed advancing the GOP bill argued it failed to rein in Mr. Trump and his cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency, run by billionaire Elon Musk, and thus empowers them to continue taking a meat axe to the federal government.
“I think it cedes unwarranted power to the president,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Democrat, said, warning that the stopgap will allow the president to continue slashing government agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs.
SEE ALSO: Democrats at war with each other over GOP spending bill
Still, Mr. Blumenthal and many other Senate Democrats said they understood Mr. Schumer’s decision to prevent a shutdown, given that also would have harmful impacts like closure of courts where cases against the Trump administration’s cuts and firings are underway.
“Both of these alternatives are really crummy,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, Oregon Democrat. He said Democrats unanimously agreed on that despite their different positions on advancing the bill.
Mr. Wyden voted against ending the filibuster, saying, “Musk and Trump are involved in a colossal spree of lawlessness, and I am going to fight it every step of the way, every issue that comes up.”
The Democrats who joined Mr. Schumer, Ms. Shaheen and Mr. King in ending the filibuster were Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Kirsten E. Gillibrand of New York, Margaret Wood Hassan of New Hampshire, Gary C. Peters of Michigan and Brian Schatz of Hawaii.
“The last government shutdown cost the economy about $11 billion. I’m not going to exacerbate that,” Ms. Cortez Masto said.
The stopgap bill, known as a continuing resolution or CR, passed the House on Tuesday. It is the third extension of fiscal 2024 funding levels and the longest, running through the Sept. 30 end of fiscal 2025.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle complained that the stopgap creates an effective year-long CR, which hamstrings agencies from starting new programs and contracts and doesn’t allow them to put their imprint on fiscal 2025 spending.
“A year-long CR is by no means my first choice, but our focus now, given where we are, must be on preventing a government shutdown,” said Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, Maine Republican.
The bill includes some exceptions to what would typically be flat funding. That includes $13 billion in cuts to non-defense spending on projects lawmakers requested for their districts, increases of $6 billion each for defense spending and veterans’ health care and a roughly half a billion-dollar bump for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has been running low on funding for detention and deportation of illegal immigrants.
Mr. Paul, in opposing the bill, said his party should not be approving continued spending at levels that DOGE has already sought to cut. He offered an amendment to codify $16 billion in foreign aid cuts DOGE has identified, which was rejected 27-73.
In the House, another Kentuckian, Rep. Thomas Massie, was also the sole GOP “no” vote for similar reasons.
Sen. Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republican, said he would have preferred lower spending levels but supported the measure to keep the government open. He questioned why Democrats took such issue with the bill given that it mostly continues Biden spending levels that Senate Democrats previously voted for.
“We’re just going to spend the same level as we did in 2024,” he said. “I mean what’s their beef? I mean, how can they possibly object to that? If they do, they’re shutting down the government.”
Avoiding a shutdown was not guaranteed just two days ago when Mr. Schumer announced that Republicans would not have enough votes on their bill to overcome a filibuster.
But the New York Democrat reversed course on Thursday, announcing he would vote to advance the bill to prevent a shutdown and signaling enough of his colleagues would follow suit.
“A shutdown is not a political game,” he said, citing the “real pain” it could cause for American families like delayed processing of benefits for veterans and seniors.
Senate Republicans, some of whom had preemptively started campaigns against the “Schumer shutdown,” were pleased with the Democratic leader’s final decision but said they wished he had come to it sooner.
“I think that he understands if he allows the most liberal voices of his conference to shut down the government, he will have title to this shutdown, which will be one of the first times Democrats ever got titled to it, and I think he’s wise enough to know that,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, North Carolina Republican.
While Mr. Schumer shares his colleagues’ concerns about the CR not restricting Mr. Trump or DOGE from continued cuts, he said a shutdown would give them much more power to wreak havoc across the government since the White House decides what services and employees are essential.
“A shutdown would give Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and DOGE and Russell Vought the keys to the city, state and country,” he said.
Democrats were given votes on three amendments. Measures to reverse an IRS funding cut and to reinstate veterans fired from federal agencies were rejected in party-line 47-53 votes.
A third amendment to cut off funding to DOGE in an attempt to kneecap it failed 48-52, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Alaska Republican, joining Democrats in support.
A final point Mr. Schumer made against a government shutdown is that Democrats did not have an off ramp, given that Republicans control both chambers of Congress and would get to decide what legislation to bring forward to end it. He was concerned the GOP would “cherry pick” different parts of the government to reopen, while leaving agencies they oppose shuttered.
“Anyone that wants to shut the government down, they can’t explain, how does it end?” said Mr. Fetterman, who has said for weeks he would never vote to shut down the government. “I thought we never get in a war if there’s no exit plan. What’s your exit plan? Because the only exit ramp is owned by the GOP.”
Mr. Fetterman agreed a shutdown is worse for empowering DOGE than the GOP bill because it would give them “unlimited time to throw open the hood and tinker around and do whatever they want.”
Asked what would be a leverage point for Democrats to fight on these issues, Mr. Fetterman said, “There is no leverage. Democrats just refuse to acknowledge [it].”
“They keep showing up at knife fights with a casserole,” he said.
• Alex Miller contributed to this story.
