Following worries of a government shutdown, the Trump-backed continuing resolution passed through the Senate just hours before the midnight deadline.
The CR has caused division among Democrats in the Senate. The majority of Democrats were fearful of the budget proposals listed in the bill, but many felt as if a government shutdown was a worse alternative. The CR outlines a cut of about $7 billion in government spending from last year’s fiscal levels. Approximately $13 billion in non-defense spending will be cut, while the defense budget will be raised by around $6 billion, according to Reuters.
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52 Republican senators were already set on passing the resolution, with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky, being the only Republican to vote against the bill. The CR needed to pass through the procedural vote, which required at least 60 votes in the Senate. 10 Democrats voted in favor of the bill, which allowed it to pass to the main senate vote. The CR then formally passed in a 54-46 vote, allowing it to be sent to President Trump’s desk.
Prior to the vote, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., stated he will be voting to move the bill forward, which began to worry some Democrats. Schumer said he’d vote yes on the CR, despite not approving of some of the contents in the bill.
“As bad as passing the CR is, allowing Donald Trump to take even more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
All of Virginia’s U.S. representatives and senators voted along party lines for the CR, with Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both D-Va, reiterating their lack of support prior to the floor vote. Following the votes, the senators expressed their disappointment in a joint press release.
“While the government will remain open, we are frustrated that this funding bill gives a blank check to Donald Trump and Elon Musk to continue attacking the federal workforce and dismantling the services Virginians rely on. This bill lacks the meaningful proposals we offered as amendments to rein in and defund DOGE and protect our veterans from being indiscriminately fired – because Republicans blocked them all. As Donald Trump and Elon Musk continue to seek giant tax cuts for billionaires while laying off workers, slashing services, and tanking our economy, we will keep standing up for everyday Virginians, who have had enough of this chaos and lawlessness. That means we are already gearing up for our next fight: forcing a Senate vote on our legislation to challenge Trump’s senseless trade war with Canada, which will only raise costs for Virginians.”
Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, D-Va
Our local U.S. Reps. Ben Cline and Morgan Griffith, both R-Va, stated their happiness on the passage of the bill.
“House Democrats tried to shut down the government—but thankfully, Senate Democrat Minority Leader Schumer ignored their reckless stunt.Instead of working to secure the border or rein in spending, House Democrats played political games that could have hurt hardworking Americans. Their efforts appear to have failed, and that’s a good thing."
Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va 6th District
“This government funding bill delivers critical funding to our border enforcement authorities and helps President Trump carry out his popular agenda of making government work more efficiently for the American people.”
Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va 9th District
Rep. John McGuire, R-VA for Virginia’s 5th District, has not released a statement at this time.
