Senate passes Trump’s budget plan with help from some Dems

WASHINGTON - The Senate passed a Republican-led government funding bill on Friday, averting a midnight government shutdown.

The result was 54-46.

The bill, which some Democrats have said failed to implement any limits on President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s efforts to gut federal operations, will now be sent to the president’s desk for his signature. 

By the numbers:

In a vote to advance the bill earlier Friday, a 60-vote threshold was required. That meant seven Democrats or Independents were needed to cross the aisle and vote with the 53 Republicans in favor of passage. With the help of Sen. Chuck Schumer, Republicans got 10 extra votes, pushing them past the threshold. The bill easily passed its final vote – which required only a majority – later in the evening.

The US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, March 14, 2025. ( Allison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Democrats left with no choice

In the days leading up to the final vote, Democrats were pushing for a stopgap 30-day funding bill as an alternative.

But in a Congress controlled by Republicans, those efforts were weak from the start. 

Dig deeper:

Debates over funding the federal government routinely erupt at deadline moments, but this year it’s showing the political leverage of Republicans, newly in majority control of the White House and Congress.

Democrats are finding themselves unable to stop the Trump administration’s march across federal operations.

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.

Options for Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer were limited, especially as the party was wary of fully withholding their votes and being blamed for a full shutdown of services.

The Democratic Party was fracturing Friday as a torrent of frustration and anger was unleashed at Senate Democrats, led by Schumer, who faced what they saw as an awful choice: shut the government down or consent to a Republican funding bill that allows Trump to continue slashing the federal government.

After Schumer announced Thursday that he would reluctantly support the bill, he bore the brunt of that anger, including a protest at his office, calls from progressives that he be primaried in 2028 and suggestions that the Democratic Party would soon be looking for new leaders.

What they're saying:

"Trump has taken a blowtorch to our country and wielded chaos like a weapon," Schumer said. "For Donald Trump, a shutdown would be a gift. It would be the best distraction he could ask for from his awful agenda."

What’s in the bill? 

Dig deeper:

Lawmakers said the bill would trim $13 billion in non-defense spending from the levels in the 2024 budget year and increase defense spending by $6 billion.

These changes are rather flat for both categories when compared with an overall topline of nearly $1.7 trillion in discretionary spending.

The bill does not cover the majority of government spending, including Social Security and Medicare. Funding for those two programs is on autopilot and not regularly reviewed by Congress.

What they're saying:

"We're providing the greatest package of benefits that this country has ever provided. The biggest part of that is going to be tax cuts for the middle class and for businesses, small businesses, employers, people that hire people, jobs," Trump said during his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Thursday.