Senate Divided Over GOP Spending Bill as Shutdown Looms

Democrats face tough choices on whether to block or advance a Republican budget bill to avoid a government shutdown.

The Senate is debating a Republican-crafted six-month funding bill as the government faces a shutdown deadline of Friday at midnight.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has announced he will vote to advance the bill despite calling it a 'terrible option,' citing the need to prevent a shutdown.
Many Senate Democrats oppose the bill, criticizing its increased military and deportation funding while cutting non-defense domestic spending by $13 billion.
Republicans argue that Democrats must decide whether to support the bill or face blame for a shutdown, as the GOP controls both chambers of Congress and the presidency.
Progressive Democrats and liberal activists are pressuring Senate Democrats to reject the bill, warning against ceding power to the Trump administration.