Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said Thursday evening he will vote to advance the GOP spending bill to prevent the federal government from shutting down by the end of Friday, backing off his previous opposition to the bill.
“I believe it is my job to make the best choice for the country, to minimize the harms to the American people. Therefore, I will vote to keep the government open and not shut it down,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.
The Democratic leader’s announcement comes two days after the House passed the continuing resolution to keep the government funded until September 30. The bill needs 60 votes in the Senate to advance to a final vote.
Schumer previously pushed for a 30-day continuing resolution instead of the six-month stopgap funding bill, which he called a “partisan path” on Wednesday. He changed his mind at a lunch meeting on Thursday, telling his Senate Democratic colleagues that he would advance the House-passed bill through a cloture motion.
Republicans hold 53 seats in the upper chamber and do not have the support of Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.), meaning they need at least eight votes from Democrats to meet the threshold. So far, Schumer is the second Democratic “yes” vote behind Senator John Fetterman (D., Pa.).
Fetterman said earlier Thursday he would vote for the GOP spending bill, even though he believes it is “flawed.” He also noted how his own party lost “leverage” when the House Republicans didn’t need Democratic votes to pass the bill.
“The only time we had any leverage . . . [was if] the Republican needed our votes in the House,” Fetterman said. “The GOP delivered and that effectively iced us out and that forces us to say, ‘Are you gonna shut the government down? Or are you are gonna vote for a flawed CR?’ And now for me, I refuse to shut the government down.”
The House passed Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R., La.) stopgap funding bill by a margin of 217–213, with one Democrat — Representative Jared Golden (Maine) — joining all but one Republican — Representative Thomas Massie (Ky.) — in voting in favor of the legislation.
The 99-page funding bill boosts defense spending by $6 billion compared to fiscal year 2024 and decreases nondefense spending by $13 billion. Overall, the bill’s spending is lower than last fiscal year’s funding levels. It also grants a request from the Trump administration — $485 million to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to fast-track mass deportations of illegal immigrants.
Meanwhile, the legislation excludes additional funds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s capability to respond to natural disasters and cuts funding for community projects.
The Senate minority leader said a government shutdown should be avoided at all costs, claiming such a scenario is exactly what President Donald Trump and Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk want.
“We should not give it to them,” he said, adding Democrats will fight the Republican administration every step of the way.
Schumer argued that a shutdown would enable Trump and Musk to continue carrying out their agenda, including cutting taxes for billionaires and targeting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for fraudulent spending.
“This is the fight the American people need to see. This is the fight that Democrats will win,” he concluded. “A shutdown would be a costly distraction from this all-important fight.”
If Senate leaders fail to agree on a deal that allows for passage of the bill, government funding will lapse at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.