Dems Abandoning Opposition as Stopgap Now Looks Set to Pass

By all indications, Democrats are folding on threats to force a government shutdown.

As reported by The Hill, a group of 10 Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., voted Friday to advance a Republican bill to fund the government through Sept. 30.

Many Dems had been urging the party to keep the GOP from getting the necessary 60 votes to pass the measure and avoid a shutdown. They have contended the 6-month stopgap bill, already passed by the House, gives President Donald Trump and his DOGE agency a blank check and free rein to continue sweeping cuts to federal agencies and programs -- at the expense of working class families.

The procedural vote, which passed 62-28, puts the bill on a track to pass the Senate sometime Friday night.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) announced an agreement shortly before 4:30 p.m. Friday to vote to advance the  funding bill and consider four amendments, none of which were expected to prevail. 

On Thursday, Schumer opened the door to passage, and riled colleagues, by urging his party to pass the measure and avoid a shutdown. He nsisted a shutdown would give Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk — Trump’s main budget cutter —  leverage to keep federal employees out of work and close agencies for weeks or months.

As The Hill said,  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) warned that Schumer would be making a “tremendous mistake.” She claimed there was a deep feeling of betrayal in Schumer's flip.