On Friday, the Senate, led by the GOP, passed a temporary bill to prevent a partial government shutdown just before midnight. The legislation now heads to President Donald Trump for his signature after Democrats chose not to block it.
The final vote was 54-46. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Angus King (R-ME) joined nearly all Republicans in supporting the bill, while Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was the only Republican to oppose it, siding with Democrats and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
To pass the bill, a simple majority was needed. Earlier in the day, the Senate faced a more challenging vote to invoke cloture, which required 60 votes. That vote succeeded with a tally of 62-38 after Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) decided against supporting a shutdown, despite some backlash from fellow Democrats.
Before the final vote, senators agreed to consider a few amendments put forward by Democrats and Paul, but all of them failed. However, the Senate did pass a separate bill to protect about $1.1 billion in funding for Washington, D.C., which would have been cut by the continuing resolution.
Paul proposed an amendment to reduce funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), but it was rejected with a vote of 27-37. He argued that his amendment would solidify cuts made by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) commented that while Paul’s proposal was well-intentioned, it could lead to a shutdown by forcing the House to reconsider the bill. He emphasized that President Trump wants to avoid a shutdown and is focused on advancing the DOGE Act and MAGA agenda for the next fiscal year.
Earlier in the week, the House passed the 99-page continuing resolution, which funds various federal agencies and programs through September 30. Trump has backed this funding measure as a way to keep the government operating while pursuing his priorities in national defense, border security, and tax cuts.