gotchanewsdaily.com 
CNN
—
Senate Democrats joined Republicans Friday on a key procedural vote to advance a bill that would ultimately avert a government shutdown at midnight, despite intensifying pressure from across the Democratic Party to block the GOP’s funding measure.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and nine others voted to advance the House-passed spending bill to a final vote, with President Donald Trump himself praising Schumer for the move. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only Republican to vote against advancing the measure that would fund the government through September 30.
Outside of Schumer’s leadership team, many Senate Democrats as well as House Democrats are seething at the move, which they see as a capitulation in the party’s first real leverage point in Trump’s second term.
The Senate Democratic leader has argued his party had only bad options when it came to shutting down the government – possibly for months – to challenge Trump, or accepting a GOP bill that Democrats have warned would cut spending to programs like veterans’ health care or Washington, DC, firefighters and police.
“I believe it is the best way to minimize the harm that the Trump administration will do to the American people,” Schumer argued in defense of his decision during remarks on the Senate floor. “Clearly, this is a Hobson’s choice. The CR is a bad bill, but as bad as the CR is, I believe allowing Donald Trump to take even much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option.”
Republicans and Democrats must now negotiate a time agreement to vote on final passage of the package before the midnight deadline, all while Schumer and his leadership continue to face intense anger from the Democratic base.
The initial vote, while procedural, had been closely watched by Democrats across the country, who saw it as a test of their party leaders’ willingness to fight Trump.
At the urging of prominent Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, voters had been flooding senators’ offices with calls urging them to block the bill and take on Trump for his dismantling of the federal government. Ultimately, many Democrats believe, Schumer failed that test.
The New York Democrat’s strategy has faced fierce blowback from all corners of the Democratic Party, including in his own chamber, though no senators have publicly said they would challenge his leadership over the move.
Pressure amplified on Senate Republicans earlier in the week after the House on Tuesday passed the Trump-backed stopgap funding measure.
Top House Democrats, led by House Minority Leader Hakeem, led Jeffries, a fierce whip operation against the bill, ultimately losing just one of their members on the vote.
Jeffries would not answer on Friday when asked whether he had lost confidence in Schumer given that the two Democratic leaders took divergent paths on the funding issue. “Next question,” he said.
Trump is expected to sign the bill when it reaches his desk.
CNN’s Annie Grayer contributed to this report.
