- Senate Republicans led the passage of legislation that will avert a government shutdown.
- Nine Democrats voted to avoid a filibuster, despite strong objections from others in the party.
- Republicans can now focus on their sweeping border and tax cut legislation.
Senators voted on Friday to avert a government shutdown just hours before it would occur, sending President Donald Trump legislation that would slash non-defense spending and boost the Pentagon’s budget.
The final vote was 54 to 46. Only one Democratic lawmaker, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, joined almost all Republicans in passing the bill. Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine who caucuses with Democrats, also voted for the bill. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a Republican, voted against the funding legislation.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Thursday night that he would support allowing the bill to progress, breaking a filibuster and its 60-vote threshold. Nine Democrats and King joined nearly every Republican to advance the bill to its final simple-majority vote.
Likely in exchange for the Democratic votes moving the bill forward, Senate Majority Leader John Thune allowed Democrats to vote on three different amendments to the funding bill. All of them failed to pass, including a measure by Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, a Democrat, which would have effectively shut down the White House DOGE office, which is effectively led by Elon Musk.
After passing the government funding bill, senators are expected to pass a bipartisan fix to a provision in the funding bill that would have required Washington, DC, to cut $1 billion out of its budget. The House would need to pass that legislation when they return.
A shutdown would have begun in the early hours of Saturday morning if Congress failed to pass new funding.
This is a major victory for Trump, who is expected to sign the legislation shortly, and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Johnson essentially jammed Senate Democrats by passing the bill through the House on a near-party line vote. He then sent lawmakers home, daring Schumer and Democrats to vote down the legislation and cause a government shutdown.
“Congratulations to Chuck Schumer for doing the right thing — Took ‘guts’ and courage!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday morning before the vote. “The big Tax Cuts, L.A. fire fix, Debt Ceiling Bill, and so much more, is coming.”
Dissent among Democrats
In contrast, many Democrats are furious with Schumer for pushing to advance the bill. They view the legislation as a green light to the DOGE office and Musk.
“Donald Trump and Republicans are crashing the economy. They plan to take a chainsaw to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans benefits and public schools — all in order to give massive tax cuts to their billionaire donors and wealthy corporations,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies and his two top deputies said in a joint statement. “House Democrats will not be complicit.”
Schumer said that he feared a shutdown would further empower Musk and Trump, warning that there was no clear way out of a potential weekslong standoff.
The legislation includes a $6 billion increase in defense spending compared to fiscal year 2024. The bill increases funding for nutrition assistance for women, infants, and children (WIC) by $500 million. At the same time, the bill cuts overall non-defense spending by $13 billion compared to the last fiscal year. Notably, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has warned of a $1 billion cut to the budget of the nation’s capitol.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and other progressives had urged Democrats to kill the House GOP-led funding bill citing concerns over its failure to rein in the DOGE office. Some top Senate Democrats, including Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, refused to go along with Schumer’s move. Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the bill was a “vote to turn YOUR taxpayer dollars into Trump & Elon’s personal slush funds.”
Republicans still have tough votes ahead
The bill extends government funding through September 30. Its passage means Trump and Republicans won’t have to worry about a potential shutdown as they enter the thick of negotiations for their massive border security and tax bill. Johnson has pledged to send Trump legislation by Easter, an ambitious timeline requiring both houses to reach an agreement soon. The House and Senate are still negotiating whether the legislation will include Trump’s tax cuts or if they punt that issue to another time.
This isn’t the final fiscal deadline looming. Congress still has to raise the debt limit in the months ahead, possibly as early as this spring.
