Senate Passes Controversial Bill to Avoid Government Shutdown
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The Senate passed a Republican spending plan on Friday, preventing a U.S. government shutdown just before the midnight deadline. However, it sparked a heated debate within the Democratic party on how to confront Donald Trump. The vote was 62-38, with 10 Democrats joining almost all Republicans in supporting the bill.
Under pressure from his left and House Democrats to block the GOP bill, Schumer kept his plan quiet all week. But on Thursday, he said he would support the bill, allowing other Democrats to do the same and reducing the risk of a big shutdown during tough economic times.
Shutdown Would Be Far Worse
Schumer noted that while the funding bill isn’t ideal, allowing a government shutdown would give Trump and DOGE too much power, which would be even worse. He believes a shutdown would give them too much control over the country.
Notably, nine Democrats joined Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to support a bill to prevent a government shutdown, giving up some Democratic power over President Trump for now. These Democrats are a mix of moderates, Schumer’s allies, senators from states with many federal workers, and those close to retirement. They agreed with Schumer that Trump and Elon Musk could cause more harm during a shutdown than with the bill, which was mainly created by Republicans.
Schumer said that the decision to avoid a shutdown is now up to Trump, Elon Musk, and DOGE, warning that a shutdown could last six to nine months and would be very unpredictable. Some party critics argue Schumer gave up a rare chance to use his leverage too quickly, after House Republicans passed a spending bill with Trump’s support.
“I’ll take Some Bullets,” Says Schumer
The vote was mostly split between parties, 54-46. Many Democrats were frustrated, feeling the bill didn’t address key issues like healthcare and housing.
Schumer said that he was ready to face criticism from both moderate House members and angry progressives, saying, “I’ll take some of the bullets.” The nine senators who supported him may also face political backlash, but none of them are likely to face immediate challenges in their next election.
Schumer’s decision to support the GOP funding bill upset House Democrats. They had voted against it earlier. House leaders, like Hakeem Jeffries, wanted a short-term funding bill to give more time to negotiate. They said the GOP bill gave too much power to Trump and cut important services. It also cut spending in Washington, D.C. Senate Republicans, like John Thune, said Democrats didn’t finish last year’s budget, which led to another stopgap bill.
However, the president praised Chuck Schumer for making the right decision, calling it a courageous and bold move.
