Congress will need to avoid government closures until late tonight.
WASHINGTON – The US Senate on March 14th advanced a House-approved bill to keep the government open before the closure begins.
After days of speculation about the ultimate fate in the Senate, the Senate evoked the coagulation of the bill with 62-38 votes on Friday afternoon. Ten Democrats joined 52 Republicans to clear up the 60 votes needed to advance the law and bypass the filibuster.
The ten Democrats who voted to move the package forward were Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.), Senate Minority Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Catherine Cortez-Masto (DN.Y.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Angus King (I-Maine), Gary Peters (dn-mich), Gary Peters (dn-mich) Jeanne Shaheen (Dn.H.), Kirsten Gillibrand (Dn.Y.), and John Fetterman (D-Pa.).
Procedural steps effectively lock in passing the final bill. This requires clearing a simple majority. The Senate is currently voting for four breakdown-prone fixes and will advance to the final vote ahead of the midnight shutdown deadline.
President Donald Trump congratulated Schumer on “doing the right thing,” adding that the final decision of the latter requires “courage” and courage.”
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Defense spending will increase by about $6 billion, reducing non-defense spending by $13 billion compared to last year’s levels. Overall, this measure cuts spending by about $7 billion from the previous year.
The Senate will continue with four amendment votes, including an amendment vote to reduce the Democrat’s suspension period to 30 days, and another from Senator Rand Paul (R-KY.) to implement a specific proposal from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) before the final vote.
All could fail, as the amendment requires a separate vote by the House of Representatives. The house is already on holiday and delays government funding beyond the midnight closure deadline.
Additionally, Schumer announced Friday that the senator would vote for a bipartisan bill related to Washington’s fundraising.
For Democrats, the fight over the bill could have meaning beyond current conflict. Especially for Schumer, who is facing criticism from progressive bases and some House Democrats.
Schumer protects the reversal
When Schumer announced his decision to support the law on Thursday, Senate minority leaders revealed that he recognizes the course as the best available to Democrats.
“(stopgap) is a bad bill,” Schumer said he repeated his previous comments minutes before the solidification slip on March 14th. “But it’s just as bad as that, but I think it’s bad to allow Donald Trump to take more power.”
Rather than framing support as a vote for the spending bill, Schumer said on March 13 that he would “vote to keep the government open and not close the government,” and framed it as a vote for the closure.
He said Republicans are offering Democrats “Hobson’s choice.” He said this offers two options, but it appears to offer only one realistic option.
Schumer said the closure would allow Trump and Elon Musk to unilaterally implement the many staffing and funding cuts proposed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This is the result of the sophisticated authorities the president has during the closure to determine which employees and services are essential, Schumer said.
Musk-led Doge has been ordered by Trump to audit federal agencies to reduce government spending.
Following Schumer’s reversal, Sen. Katherine Cortez Mast (D-Nev.) came out in favor of calling for a coagulation.
Like Schumer, she tied her support to concerns that the closure would expand Trump’s authority.
Criticism from House Democrats
Schumer’s decision to change the course of his fundraising plan has prompted criticism from the party’s left flank and House Democrats.
Top-ranked Democrats like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) and speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have been hesitant to rubber sniffing.
At a press conference Friday, Jeffries rejected a question about whether Schumer is confident.
Pelosi also rejected Schumer’s plan in support of an alternative 30-day fundraising bill introduced by House Budget Committee ranking members Rosa Delauro (D-Conne) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
“Democrat senators should listen to women,” Pelosi said in a statement Friday, saying Delauro and Murray “we put forward eloquently… we’ve opened the government and negotiated a bipartisan agreement.”
“We have to fight back for a better way. For the sake of people, listen to the women,” she added.
One day, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.), a progressive Democrat considered a Senate candidate, criticizes her state senator.
She called the move a “huge slap in the face” and described the “wide betrayal” within the party.
