On Thursday evening, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer announced a shift in stance, stating he would vote to end a filibuster of the Republican spending bill. This move signaled to other Senate Democrats that they could also support the legislation.

Schumer, representing New York as a Democrat, conceded to the Republican demands after unsuccessful attempts to persuade them to adopt a one-month stopgap spending bill instead of their plan. The GOP’s proposal aims to maintain current funding levels, with some exceptions, until the fiscal year concludes on September 30.

“It’s a Hobson’s choice, either proceed with the bill before us or risk Donald Trump throwing America into the chaos of a shutdown,” Schumer remarked. He justified his decision by stating that although the GOP bill was suboptimal, the repercussions of a shutdown would be far more detrimental for the country.

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, described Schumer’s change of heart as a “full cave” and anticipated that other Democrats would align similarly.

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The decision followed several days of internal discussions within the Democratic caucus, debating whether to support the Republican bill, which had passed the House with nearly unanimous Democratic opposition.

The Senate is set to conduct a preliminary procedural vote early Friday afternoon. A unanimous time agreement from all 100 senators is required to navigate through additional procedural challenges and pass the bill before the midnight deadline.

Although the Republicans hold a 53-seat majority in the Senate, they need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. With Kentucky Senator Rand Paul opposing the measure, the bill requires support from at least eight Democrats to pass and prevent a government shutdown.

Many Senate Democrats are hesitant to shut down the government, viewing opposition to the measure as their sole method of challenging President Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency’s cost-cutting measures.

“I think when you confront a bully, you have to confront a bully,” stated Senator Martin Heinrich, a Democrat from New Mexico. Heinrich, along with other Democrats opposing the GOP stopgap, expressed reluctance to empower Trump and his department to disregard government spending directives further. However, they recognized that a shutdown would have severe consequences for government employees and Americans dependent on federal programs.

“This president has put us in a position where, in either direction, lots of people’s constituents are going to get hurt and hurt badly,” Heinrich added. “So people are wrestling with what is the least worst outcome.”

On Wednesday, Schumer had declared that his caucus was united against the GOP plan and would not provide the necessary votes to overcome a filibuster, criticizing their exclusion from the drafting process. Republicans responded by launching a social media campaign labeling it the “Schumer shutdown.”

If Schumer had proceeded with his initial plan to block the bill, the government would have shut down after midnight Friday, except for services deemed essential by the Trump administration.

In reversing his decision, Schumer argued that allowing the president to dictate terms during a shutdown was a worse option than accepting the GOP stopgap. “A shutdown would give Donald Trump and Elon Musk carte blanche to destroy vital government services at a significantly faster rate than they can right now,” he explained, highlighting the potential impact on federal workers and ongoing federal court cases against the Department of Government Efficiency’s actions.

“And make no mistake, Democrats will continue to fight what Donald Trump is doing,” Schumer affirmed.

Before Schumer’s reversal, the only Democrat supporting the GOP plan was Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who has stated, “I will never vote to shut the government down.”

The GOP bill, marking the third government funding stopgap for the fiscal year that began last October 1, aims to extend most fiscal 2024 spending levels and policies through the end of fiscal 2025 on September 30. It includes specific exceptions such as $13 billion in cuts to nondefense spending, increases of $6 billion each for defense spending and veterans’ health care, and an additional half a billion dollars for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is currently underfunded for detention and deportation activities.

Senate Democrats prefer a shorter, one-month CR through April 11, which they believe would provide sufficient time to finalize bipartisan negotiations on new spending levels and policies and pass fiscal 2025 appropriation bills. “We’re this close to getting a bipartisan bill, so why wouldn’t we do that?” said Senator Raphael Warnock, a Democrat from Georgia.

However, some Democrats, including Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Mark R. Warner of Virginia, have stated they will not support the procedural vote on the GOP bill. Alsobrooks criticized the GOP stopgap for enabling Trump to continue targeting dedicated civil servants.

Other Democrats, particularly from states Trump won in the presidential election, like Senators Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly of Arizona, also expressed their opposition. “I told Arizonans I’d stand up when it was right for our state and our country, and this is one of those moments,” Kelly stated.