WASHINGTON 鈥� Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer relented Thursday rather than risk a government shutdown, announcing he's ready to start the process of considering a Republican-led government funding bill that has fiercely divided Democrats under pressure to impose limits on the Trump administration.
Schumer told Democrats privately during a spirited closed-door lunch and then made public remarks ahead of voting Friday, which will be hours before the midnight deadline to keep government running.
The New York senator said as bad as the GOP bill is, a shutdown would be worse, giving President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk 鈥渃arte blanche鈥� as they tear through the government.
鈥淭rump has taken a blowtorch to our country and wielded chaos like a weapon,鈥� Schumer said. 鈥淔or Donald Trump, a shutdown would be a gift. It would be the best distraction he could ask for from his awful agenda.鈥�
Schumer's move brings a potential resolution to what has been a dayslong standoff. Senate Democrats mounted a last-ditch protest over the package, which passed the House but didn't place any limits they wanted on Trump and Musk's efforts to gut federal operations.
Democrats are under intense pressure to do whatever they can to stop the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, which is taking a wrecking ball to long-established government agencies and purging thousands of federal workers from jobs.
Democrats pushed a stopgap 30-day funding bill as an alternative, but its prospects are dim in the Congress controlled by Republicans. It's unlikely Democrats would allow a government shutdown, worried about the further chaos they say Trump and Musk could cause.
As the Senate opened Thursday, with one day to go before Friday's midnight deadline, Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, "It's time for Democrats to fish or cut bait."
Debates over funding the federal government routinely erupt in deadline moments, but this year it shows Republicans' political leverage, newly in majority control of the White House and Congress, and the shortcomings of Democrats who find themselves unable to stop the Trump administration's march across federal operations.
In a rare turn of events, House Republicans stuck together to pass their bill, with many conservatives cheering the DOGE cuts leaving Democrats sidelined as they stood opposed. The House then left town, sending it to the Senate for final action.
Schumer announced that Democrats were unified in pressing for a 30-day stopgap measure as an alternative to the House-passed bill, which would instead fund operations through the end of the budget year in September.
With his party united, Schumer said the Republicans, who hold a 53-47 majority, lack the support needed to reach the 60-vote threshold, which is required to overcome a filibuster.
But Senate Republicans have shown little interest in Schumer's offer.
As senators convened behind closed doors for another day of meetings, what is more likely is that they will have a chance to vote on the Democrats' stopgap measure. If it fails as expected, the Senate would then turn to the broader bill for passage, hours before Friday's midnight deadline.
"I'm in the camp of like, don't ever, ever shut the government down," said Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa.
Over the next 24 hours, Democrats face a choice: Provide the votes needed to advance the package or stand in the way of passing the funding bill in time to avoid a shutdown when money expires midnight Friday.
"They'll cave," predicted Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn.
Cornyn said the Democrats "have been railing against Elon Musk and the Trump administration over reductions in force of the federal employees, and now they basically want to put all of them out of work by shutting down the government." He added, "I don't know how you reconcile those two positions."
But progressive Democrats, including allies in the House, pushed Democrats to draw the line against Trump 鈥� even if it courts a federal shutdown.
Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said on social media that the House GOP bill will "supercharge Musk's theft from working people to pay for billionaire tax cuts. Senate Democrats must stop it."
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, called Trump and Musk "two billionaires who don't know the first thing" about what American families need.
In an highly unusual turn, the House package also required the District of Columbia, which already approved its own balanced budget, to revert back to 2024 levels, drawing outcry from the mayor and city leaders. They warn of steep reductions to city services.
Democratic senators assessed next steps Thursday.
"Both choices that we are being offered are full of despair," said Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo.