The Senate passed a bill tonight to keep the government operating through the end of the fiscal year. Ordinarily that would be good news, but many Democrats strongly oppose the bill. They blame Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for allowing it to pass and giving President Trump and Elon Musk free reign to cut government programs that support working Americans.
The Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government through September 30, H.R. 1968, passed the House on Tuesday on an almost party-line split. Only one Democrat supported it. Only one Republican opposed it. That meant the bill passed 217-213 with one member from each party not voting.
House Democrats hoped their counterparts in the Senate would stop the bill. Senate procedures require a 60-vote threshold to avoid a filibuster. With 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats (including two Independents), Democrats could have forced a filibuster and led to a partial government shutdown at midnight tonight for all departments and agencies funded in the discretionary part of the federal budget. That includes DOD, NASA, NOAA and most other agencies the public is familiar with.
To the consternation of House Democrats, Schumer announced he would support passage of the bill because a government shutdown would be worse than passing it.
The vote to avoid a filibuster was 62-38: 52 Republicans (all but Rand Paul of Kentucky), nine Democrats (Cortez Masto, Durbin, Fetterman, Gillibrand, Hassan, Peters, Schatz, Schumer, and Shaheen) and one Independent (King) were in favor.
The final vote on the bill itself required a simply majority to pass. That vote was 54-46. Shaheen was the only Democrat voting in favor, joined by King. Paul was the only Republican no vote.
The outcome is that there will be no government shutdown at midnight tonight, but House Democrats are warning what the bill really means.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, wrote to Schumer that the bill “will only serve to enable President Trump, Elon Musk, and the Republican Party’s ongoing efforts to unilaterally and unlawfully destroy the agencies and programs that serve the American people.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), said the bill is “an attack on veterans, families, seniors and everyday Americans.”
Last Updated: Mar 14, 2025 11:48 pm ET