Updated March 13, 2025 at 20:05 PM ET
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., says he will vote to keep the government open, signaling a path for Democrats to vote with Republicans to overcome a filibuster in the Senate and pass a six-month spending bill ahead of a Friday deadline.
Schumer delivered a lengthy speech explaining his decision to support the stopgap plan, known as a continuing resolution, or CR. Speaking from the Senate floor on Thursday, Schumer argued that a shutdown would give President Trump more power and "is a far worse option."
"As bad as passing the CR is, allowing Donald Trump to take even more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option," Schumer said.
Schumer also said he believed Republicans would weaponize a shutdown to reopen "only their favorite departments and agencies." He went on to say a shutdown is not a political game.
In a follow-up conversation with reporters, Schumer would not say how many Democrats will join him, but his support creates an opening for undecided members to vote yes.
When asked explicitly if he had enough Democratic support, Schumer said "members are making their own decisions right now."
Democrats huddled behind closed doors Thursday afternoon to debate their plans ahead of a critical vote on whether to move forward on a House-passed spending bill to fund the government through the end of September.
The Democratic Party's base is demanding they fight Trump and Elon Musk's rapid fire cuts to the federal workforce and block the funding bill that was crafted without the party's input.
It's unclear how Schumer's decision may square with Democratic voters.
"You have to make these decisions based on what is best for not only your party but your country," Schumer told reporters. "I believe that my members understand that I came to that conclusion and respect it. And so I think that people realize it's [a] tough choice, but realize I made the decision based on what I thought were the merits."
In the hours leading up to Schumer's announcement, Democrats struggled to agree on a path, with members publicly announcing their opposition throughout the day. Two Senate Democrats up for reelection in 2026, Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., said they would vote no on the GOP-backed measure.
Many Democrats described the choice facing them as a "pick-your-poison" moment with no easy answer. Helping Republicans pass the CR avoids a shutdown. But blocking the bill could create other uncertainty. The Trump administration would have the power to decide which federal employees qualify as essential workers. Republicans could also choose to selectively advance funding for some parts of the government while leaving others unfunded.
House Democrats remained largely united in opposing the plan, and many took to social media to urge their Senate counterparts to do the same.
Republican pressure continues
In a speech earlier in the day, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., blamed Schumer for creating the bind Democrats are facing.
"It's time for Democrats to fish or cut bait," Thune said in a speech on the Senate floor. "We have two days until government funding expires. And Democrats need to decide if they're going to support funding legislation that came over from the House, or if they're going to shut down the government."
Thune said the House-passed spending bill was the best option available.
But Democrats say it is not that simple. Some worry about the unpredictable impact and length of a shutdown, and what the plan would be to get out of one. Also weighing on Democrats hoping to regain control of at least one chamber of Congress is 2026 is the political impact. Republicans control the House, Senate and White House, but Trump has a large microphone and Senate Democrats will end up determining what happens.
Senate Republicans hold a 53-seat majority, but likely need eight Democratic votes in the GOP-led chamber to overcome a filibuster and pass the measure.
Senate Republicans will see at least one defection because Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul said last week he would vote no on the plan, unless it could codify cuts led by Musk.
Before Schumer's remarks, only one Senate Democrat, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, had said publicly he would vote with the GOP to approve the stopgap plan. Fetterman said he wants to avoid a shutdown: "that's chaos and I will never vote for chaos."
Lexie Schapitl contributed to this report.
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