Washington: The United States narrowly avoided a government shutdown on Friday, with lawmakers voting just hours before the midnight deadline to keep federal operations running through September. This decision came amid ongoing tensions over President Donald Trump’s aggressive federal spending cuts.
Democrats, who had initially planned to block a Trump-backed bill passed earlier by the House, ultimately relented, allowing the Republican-led Senate to approve the funding measure.
Senator Ted Cruz, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, criticized Democrats for delaying the process, stating, "In their typical fashion, Senate Democrats engaged in political theater to delay the inevitable and cause instability." He added, "Americans voted for change under President Trump and Republican leadership after four years of chaos. The government is funded, let’s get back to work."
Democrats had faced significant pressure from their base to oppose Trump and reject the bill, which they argued included harmful spending cuts. However, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer surprised many by announcing his support for the Republican-drafted proposal ahead of the critical vote.
Ten Democrats, concerned about being blamed for a potential shutdown, decided against a confrontation with Trump, allowing the bill to proceed to a final vote. The measure ultimately passed with Republican support.
This week’s developments marked a significant victory for Trump, who successfully pressured House Republicans to fall in line, effectively quashing a rebellion that could have led to a shutdown.
The funding debate centered on opposition to Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, which aims to drastically reduce the size of the federal government. DOGE has set a goal of cutting $1 trillion in federal spending this year, claiming to have already saved over $100 billion, though verified savings are significantly lower.
Grassroots Democrats were outraged by what they saw as Musk’s aggressive overhaul of federal bureaucracy and urged their leaders to resist DOGE and Trump. However, Schumer warned that a shutdown could play into Trump and Musk’s hands, allowing them to accelerate cuts to vital government services.
Schumer defended his decision in an op-ed for The New York Times, arguing that a shutdown would have given the Trump administration broad authority to deem entire agencies and programs nonessential, potentially furloughing staff with no guarantee of rehire.
Shutdowns, though rare, are highly disruptive and costly, halting everyday functions like food inspections and closing parks, monuments, and federal buildings. Up to 900,000 federal employees can be furloughed, while another million essential workers, such as air traffic controllers and police, would work without pay until normal operations resume.
Trump praised Schumer for having "guts" in a Truth Social post, calling the funding bill a "whole new direction and beginning" for the country. He later told reporters, "I appreciate Senator Schumer, and I think he did the right thing. Really, I’m very impressed by that."
The bill’s passage brought relief to Schumer, who had struggled to maintain unity among Senate Democrats amid fierce criticism from within his own party. Senator Patty Murray, the top Democrat in the funding negotiations, described the House bill as a "dumpster fire."
Meanwhile, over 100 demonstrators gathered outside Schumer’s Brooklyn residence early Friday, chanting slogans like "Chuck betrayed us" and "Dems — don’t be chickens in a coup."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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