The Senate adopted a government financing bill approved by the Chamber which avoids a closure of the government which was to be launched at the end of the day on Friday.
The Senate voted 54 to 46 to adopt the bill. The approval of the bill follows several democrats voting with the head of the Senate minority, Chuck Schumer, Dn.y., to maintain the financing bill, despite the return of other members of their party.
Senator Angus King, an independent who caucus caucus with the Democrats, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen voted in favor of the bill. All the other Democrats voted against this.
Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., Was on the only republican to vote against the bill.
Earlier, 10 Senate Democrats provided the votes necessary to allow a test vote to move forward. The Democrats voted with the leader of the minority Chuck Schumer to advance the financing bill, despite the return of other members of their party.
“I know that many members did not like the CR – the government closure would be much worse. A government closure gives Donald Trump, Elon Musk and almost complete Doge of power … To close because they can decide what is an essential service,” said Schumer on CNN between votes.
“My job as a leader is to lead the party,” he added. “And if there is going to be a danger in the near future to protect the party. And I am proud to have done so.”
The vote comes after Schumer went to the floor of the Senate on Friday morning to defend his decision to support the short -term republican financing bill – a decision that aroused criticism from other Democrats.
His surprise reversal, announced for the first time Thursday evening – one day after having said that he and the Democrats would try to block the bill – means that there will be almost certainly enough democratic votes to advance the measure towards a final vote of the Senate on Friday a few hours before the closing deadline.
“As everyone knows, the funding of the government expires at midnight this evening. As I announced yesterday, I will vote to keep the government open. I think it is the best way to minimize the damage that the Trump administration will do to the American people,” Schumer said on Friday.
He said he thought that the short -term financing bill – or continuous resolution – is a “bad bill” but said that he thought that if the government should close, it would be a worse result for the country.
“The CR is a bad bill. But as bad as the CR is, I think that allowing Donald Trump to take even more power via a government closure is a worse option,” said Schumer.
The head of the Senate minority, Chuck Schumer, speaks to the Senate ground on March 14, 2025.
Television in the Senate
Schumer said he was thinking that government closure would mean that President Donald Trump and Elon Musk and his government ministry (DOGE) would have even more authority to “destroy vital government services at a much faster rate”.
He said they would also have the power to determine which federal employees are considered essential – potentially giving them more power to fire or dismiss more government officials and obtain federal agencies.
“A closure would allow Doge to go to overdrive. Let me repeat, a closure will allow Doge to go to overdrive. This would give Donald Trump and Doge the keys to the city, the state and the country,” he said. “Donald Trump and Elon Musk would be free to destroy vital government services at a much faster rate than they can currently and on a much wider destruction that they would make.”
He continued: “In a closure, Donald Trump and Doge will have the power to determine what is considered essential and what is not and their point of view on what is not essential would be mean and vicious and decimated vital services and would cause unimaginable damage to the American people.”
“Musk told everyone that he wanted a closure because he knows that it will help him achieve his horrible goal of simply decimating the federal government from one end to the other. In other words, if the government should close, Doge has a plan in place to exploit the crisis for maximum destruction,” said Schumer.
“A closure would be the best distraction that Donald Trump could ask,” he added.
Schumer also defended some of his colleagues Democrats du Senate who have proven to be opposed to the short -term financing bill. He recognized the difficult decisions they had to weigh in Caucus.
“Our caucus members were torn between two horrible alternatives, and my colleagues and I fought with whom an alternative would be worse for the American people,” said Schumer.
President Donald Trump speaks to the press as he meets the secretary general of NATO, Mark Rutte, in the oval office of the White House in Washington, on March 13, 2025.
Pool via AP
Trump congratulated Schumer on Friday in an article on his social media platform, saying that the New York Senator was needed to report his support for the GOP bill.
“Congratulations to Chuck Schumer for having done the right thing – has taken” guts “and courage! The major tax reductions, the correction of the sheet, the debt ceiling bill, and much more, arrives,” posted Trump on Truth Social.
“We should all work together on this very dangerous situation. A non-Pass would be a destructive country, approval will lead us to new heights. Again, really good and intelligent, Senator Schumer. This could lead to something big for the United States, a whole new direction and beginning,” wrote Trump.
Friday, two separate letters were sent to Schumer, urging senators to reject the continuous resolution of the GOP – one by Freshman California Representative ofrek trance and the second of the member of the Credit Committee of the Chamber Rep. Connecticut.
Tran’s letter, which has so far has 66 signatures and is addressed directly to Schumer, declares that “as members of the Democratic Caucus of the Chamber, we write to express our strong opposition to the adoption of a continuous partisan resolution which potentially legitimizes President Trump and the dismantling of the government of the Republican Party.”
“We urge you to reject the continuing partisan resolution to come before the Senate and to stand with the American people to oppose these draconian republican cuts. All parties must return to the negotiation table and work through the lines of the parties to keep the government open in a responsible manner,” the legislators wrote.
Delauro’s letter, which comes from the democratic legislators of the credit committee, has echoed similar feelings.
“As members of the Committee of the Chamber of Credit, we urge our Democratic colleagues in the Senate to reject the continuing partisan and harmful resolution which will only serve to allow President Trump, Elon Musk and the Republican Party for current efforts to unilaterally and illegally destroy the agencies and programs that serve the American people,” illegally.
“We urge all the Democrats of the Senate to stand with the Democrats of the Chamber and with the American people, to reject this continuous resolution,” they added.
Former President Nancy Pelosi seemed to be behind Schumer’s decision, criticized the Democrats who support the GOP bill in the Chamber.
“America has already experienced a closure of Trump before-but this harmful legislation only makes matters worse. Democrats should not adhere to this false choice. We have to retaliate for a better way. Listen to women for the people,” she said in a statement on Friday.
At the same time, Pelosi applauded Democrats in the Chamber for their unanimous vote almost against the measure.
“I salute the leader Hakeem Jeffries for his courageous rejection of this false choice, and I am proud of my colleagues from the Caucus Democrat of the Chamber for their crushing vote against this bill,” she said.
Isabella Murray of ABC News contributed to this report.
