Tipsheet

Senate Passes Controversial Continuing Resolution, Avoids Government Shutdown

Jeff Charles
Jeff Charles  |  March 14, 2025 6:33 PM

The Senate has passed a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through September, averting a government shutdown.

This development comes after a contentious battle over spending.

The battle reached a critical juncture earlier in the week amid uncertainty that it would pass in the Senate after it was approved by the House. Lawmakers debated over the measure as the nation was poised to face a government shutdown.

The House passed the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act Tuesday by a narrow vote of 217-213. The bill would extend federal funding through the month of September. It would maintain current funding levels but also adds a $6 billion increase in defense spending and a $13 billion decrease in non-defense spending.

The measure would further provide a 14.5 percent pay raise for junior enlisted troops while raising funding for welfare programs like WIC. It also boosts funding for immigration enforcement.

Recommended

We Have an Update on Joe Biden's Autopen Use. It's Not Good. Matt Vespa
So, That's How the Biden White House Participated in the DOJ's Witch Hunt Against Trump Matt Vespa

Democrats strongly opposed the bill, with only one lawmaker voting in its favor. They insisted that the continuing resolution did not include specific funding directives, arguing that it would give President Trump a “blank check” to slash federal spending.

Republicans, with the exception of Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), supported the bill, touting it as a strategic move to empower Trump and the GOP to implement deeper spending cuts under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Nevertheless, the bill’s fate remained uncertain in the Senate with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) backing the measure. However, it needed 60 votes to break through a potential filibuster and at least nine Democratic votes.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) signaled that he would vote to advance the bill, earning him no small level of scolding from other Democrats. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) told reporters that Schumer’s capitulation elicited “a deep sense of outrage and betrayal” among progressive and moderate Democrats.

Schumer, who previously said Senate Democrats would not provide the needed votes to advance the House bill, argued passing the CR is less about its contents but rather the looming threat of a government shutdown.

“The Republican bill is a terrible option,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “It is deeply partisan. It doesn’t address far too many of this country’s needs. But I believe allowing Donald Trump to take even much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option.”

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) also indicated he would support the bill if it was passed in the House.