Senate passes Republican spending bill to avert government shutdown
WASHINGTON (AA) – The US Senate voted Friday to pass a Republican spending bill before a midnight deadline to avert a government shutdown.
The short-term spending bill passed in a 54-46 vote to keep the government open through the end of September.
The bill, which was approved largely along party lines, will head to President Donald Trump’s desk to be signed into law.
It includes a modest increase in defense spending and $13 billion in cuts to non-defense programs, aligning with Republican commitments to reduce domestic spending, according to NPR news.
Democrats criticized the bill as a “blank check” for Trump, arguing it fails to curb the administration’s efforts to slash previously approved congressional spending.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that Democrats would vote to advance the continuing resolution (CR) that was passed in the House of Representatives, to lower the chances of a government shutdown on Saturday.
Schumer said that while the CR bill was “very bad,” the potential for a shutdown had consequences for America that were “much, much worse.”
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