After months of failed spending negotiations and a week-long legislative scramble, the Senate passed a government funding bill Friday to avert a shutdown that Senate Democrats desperately wanted to avoid and House Democrats thought was preferable to the legislation now headed for the president’s desk.
The Senate passed the bill 54-46 vote, after a handful of Democrats joined Republicans to support cloture on the legislation 62-38 vote. Senators will next vote on four amendments, all of which are expected to fail, before the bill heads to final passage.
Of the 10 Senate Democrats who joined Republicans in voting to advance the measure through cloture — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin and Sens. Brian Schatz, Catherine Cortez Masto, Maggie Hassan, John Fetterman, Gary Peters, Kirsten Gillibrand, Jeanne Shaheen and Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats — only King and Shaheen voted for final passage.