‚I think that there is a recognition that the strategy that the Democrat leadership is employing here is the wrong one‘
Senate Democrats blocked a clean extension of government funding late Tuesday evening, but a handful of Democrats bucked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in an effort to avert a looming government shutdown.
Three members of the Democratic caucus — Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Angus King of Maine — voted with Republicans to fund the government. The bipartisan spending bill still failed to clear the upper chamber’s 60-vote threshold during a vote of 55 to 45.
The vote highlighted internal disagreement among Senate Democrats over whether to plunge the country into a government shutdown. The trio notably voted with Schumer to prevent a government funding lapse in March.
“[I] cannot support a costly government shutdown that would hurt Nevada families and hand even more power to this reckless administration,” Cortez Masto said in part in a statement following the vote.
Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul voted down the measure with Democrats, citing the funding measure’s failure to cut spending.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he believes a shutdown is likely given Democrats’ refusal to back the seven-week stopgap measure to temporarily fund the government through Nov. 21.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune attributed the Democratic caucus members backing the GOP spending bill as a prime example of intraparty dissent with Schumer’s intention to shut down the government.
