Bipartisan Coalition of 10 Democrats and Republicans Advances Approval of House-Backed Government Budget Measure
Here's a rewritten version of the article:
Hit the floor runnin', Republicans and Democrats bustlin' to avert a midnight government shutdown showdown.
Democrats, Ten and grumpy, joined the GOP crew on a crucial vote Friday, giving the green light for a bill to prevent a budget crisis, despite fierce opposition from the Democratic Party pressure cooker. The all-important procedural vote was orchestrated by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who later received a shout-out from President Trump himself. Sen. Rand Paul from Kentucky was the lone wolf Republican to stand against the bill.
Schumer and his gang took to the dancefloor, voting in favor of passing a House-approved spending bill to the final round. The party jokers, they were seen as yielding to GOP control, a notion that stings like a sore loser's wound.
Schumer, the party ring-leader, has argued that his Democratic squad was left with no decent options when it came to shutting down the government to challenge Trump or accepting a GOP bill, which the Democrats have warned would slash the budget for programs like veterans' healthcare and first responders in Washington, D.C.
"Picking the lesser of two evils," Schumer explained his decision during a heated Senate speech. "This CR bill is a rotten apple, but letting Donald Trump expand his power by shutting down the government is an even worse nightmare."
With Republicans and Democrats now locked in a mad-dash final negotiation, they've got to hustle for a time agreement to cast their final votes on the package before the clock strikes midnight. The drama's unfolding, and Schumer and his gang are squirming under mounting anger from the Democratic base.
The initial vote grabbed the attention of Democrats across the nation, who saw it as a test of their party leaders' guts to stand up to Trump. Grassroots activists, led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, were invading senators' offices in droves, demanding a block on the bill, insisting on a fight against Trump's plan to dismantle the government. In the end, many Democrats felt Schumer flunked the test.
Schumer's strategy's faced a heavy backlash from all corners of the Democratic Party, including in his very own Senate chamber, but no senators have gone public with talk of challenging his leadership just yet.
The heat was turning up on Senate Republicans earlier in the week after the House approved the Trump-backed, stop-gap funding measure on a Tuesday vote. House heavyweights like Leader Hakeem Jeffries led a fierce whip operation against the GOP bill, losing just one member in the vote.
On Friday, when asked if he'd lost faith in Schumer given their opposing views on the funding issue, Jeffries had a one-liner: "Next question."
Trump's predicted to put his John Hancock on the bill once it hits his desk.
CNN's Annie Grayer contributed to this report.
- Despite Democratic opposition, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer leveraged support from within his party to prevent a government shutdown, a move that some grassroots activists have warned would slash the budget for programs like veterans' healthcare and first responders.
- In a heated Senate speech, Schumer argued that his Democratic squad was left with no measure to challenge Trump or accept a GOP bill, stating, "Picking the lesser of two evils, this CR bill is a rotten apple, but letting Donald Trump expand his power by shutting down the government is an even worse nightmare."
- As the final negotiation between Republicans and Democrats intensifies, Schumer and his gang are under mounting anger from the Democratic base, with many feeling he failed a test of party leadership in the initial vote on the funding measure.
