WASHINGTON—Democrats are divided over Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) decision to support advancing a Republican government funding package.
On March 13, Schumer announced on the Senate floor that he would reluctantly support advancing the stopgap bill, saying that the alternative—a shutdown beginning at 12:01 a.m. (EST)—would be worse than passing the bill.
That announcement paved the way for the Senate’s final passage of the legislation in a 54–46 vote on March 14.
“The [stopgap] is a bad bill,” Schumer said minutes ahead of the cloture vote on March 14, reiterating his earlier comments. “But as bad as [it] is, I believe that allowing [President] Donald Trump to take more power is worse.”…