Senate averts shutdown with last-minute budget approval
The US Senate approved a six-month provisional budget, preventing the shutdown of federal offices. The decision was made just hours before the expiration of the current budget. Senators from the Democratic Party supported the vote.
What do you need to know?
- The US Senate passed a provisional budget for six months, which prevented the shutdown of most federal offices.
- 54 senators voted in favour of continuing the budget, including two Democrats.
- The provisional budget introduces €11,89 billion in expenditure cuts, which affect the IRS and the District of Columbia budget.
What were the voting results?
The United States Senate approved a six-month provisional budget on Friday. The decision was made just hours before the expiration of the current budget, allowing them to avoid a so-called "shutdown." 54 out of 100 senators voted to continue the current budget until the end of the fiscal year, that is, until the end of September, including two Democrats.
The adopted provisional budget extends the provisions of last year’s budget with a few exceptions. It introduces €11,89 billion in expenditure cuts, which impact areas such as the IRS and reduce the District of Columbia's budget. Additionally, the bill includes a modest increase in defence spending by €6 billion.
The adoption of the provisional was possible thanks to the votes of 10 Democratic senators who did not reject it in a previous vote. The required threshold there was 60, not 50 votes, which meant that without their support there would have been a "shutdown."
Although initially, President Donald Trump and the Republicans wanted to adopt a new budget containing even trillions of dollars in spending cuts and tax reductions, they ultimately opted to extend last year's budget to give themselves more time to prepare deeper reforms.
The dispute among Democrats
The main reason for the Democrats' opposition was the lack of specific spending instructions, which could potentially enable further massive layoffs and cuts to programs run by Elon Musk's DOGE team. A significant number of lawyers believe that prior spending halts ordered by Musk are illegal without congressional consent. Despite this, some Democrats argued that if a shutdown occurred, it would only facilitate radical cuts and layoffs in the Trump administration, as its officials could decide which offices and agencies would work and which would not.
- For sure, the Republican bill is a terrible option - said Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer. - I believe allowing Donald Trump to take even much more power in a government shutdown is a far worse option - he added.
Schumer's stance sparked a sharp conflict within the Democrats. His critics, mainly from the party's left wing, accused him of capitulation and giving up the fight for additional protection of the social security system against Musk's cuts. Among Schumer's critics was former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, while many other politicians called for a change in party leadership. Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, also refused to support Schumer.
