The US government will shut down at midnight Eastern time if lawmakers fail to pass a spending resolution.
The U.S. Senate is set to pass a stopgap spending bill on Friday that would avert a partial government shutdown, though many Democrats have expressed anger at party leaders' plans to support the move.
The measure cleared its first Senate hurdle Friday night, 62-38.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed the bill earlier this week to meet a March 14 deadline to keep the government running.
Senate Democrats have been divided over whether to support a short-term continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the government for the next six months. But it would reduce total government spending by about $7 billion from last year's levels and shift money to the military and reduce non-defense spending.
Much of the party's ire on Friday was directed at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who announced Thursday night that while he disliked the bill, a government shutdown was a "much worse option."
Speaking on the Senate floor Friday morning, Schumer said not passing the Republican-backed funding bill would give more power to Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts, including which agencies to close.
“The closure will allow DOGE to shift into full throttle,” he said.
Dozens of House Democrats, who opposed the funding measure in the lower chamber, sent a letter to Schumer on Friday expressing their “strong opposition” to his plan to vote in favor of the bill.
Former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged Senate Democrats to stand up to their leader.
In a statement Friday, he wrote, “America has seen Trump shutdowns before — but this destructive legislation only makes things worse.”
Trump has called on Congress to pass funding legislation and on Friday praised Schumer for supporting it. "Congratulations to Chuck Schumer for doing the right thing — It took 'courage' and courage!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The budget bill requires a 60-vote threshold to pass the Senate, meaning Republicans need to secure at least eight Democratic votes.
Schumer previously asked the Senate to approve an early version of the CR negotiated by Democrats.
"Funding the government should be a bipartisan effort. But Republicans chose the partisan path, drafting their continuing resolution without input, without any input, from congressional Democrats," Schumer said on the Senate floor Wednesday night.
The House of Representatives passed the short-term spending measure on Tuesday (3/11) by a vote of 217-213. One Democrat voted in favor of the bill and one Republican voted against. The House was out of session for the rest of the week starting Tuesday afternoon, putting pressure on senators to pass their version of the CR.
House Speaker Mike Johnson eased dissent from within his Republican Party to pass the spending measure. He told reporters Tuesday that the seven-month continuing resolution was a critical step toward implementing Trump’s agenda of cracking down on government waste and abuse through DOGE.
"It allows us to continue changing the size and scope of the federal government. There's a big shift happening in Washington right now. This is a moment unlike any we've ever experienced. The DOGE work uncovered a tremendous amount of fraud, waste and abuse," Johnson said.
"We have a White House that is truly dedicated to getting us back on a fiscally responsible path."
However, independent watchdogs and analysts say DOGE uses overly broad fraudulent claims to gain support for sweeping cuts to federal programs and offices.
Rep. Thomas Massie was the only Republican to vote against it, though Trump on Monday night (March 10) on Truth Social called for Massie to leave his seat if he voted against the spending measure.
The continuing resolution gives lawmakers time to reach a compromise between the Senate and House versions of government spending for the next fiscal year, which begins in October, a key tool for carrying out Trump's domestic policy agenda.
The questions are how and when to implement the proposed extension of the 2017 tax cuts and how to reduce the U.S. deficit without cutting key safety net programs that help American voters.
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