The US Senate passes a temporary budget aim avoiding a federal government shutdown

The US Senate on Friday approved a temporary budget to avoid a federal government shutdown.

The text, which funds the US federal government until September, has received the support of President Donald Trump, who must now sign it.

However, it has been met with harsh criticism from the Democratic opposition, which has condemned the planned significant cuts in some areas of public spending.

The US federal government was facing a shutdown on Friday after Democrats, disgruntled by Trump’s spending cuts, threatened to block his plans for federal funding.

Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, who has long emphasized that a government shutdown is bad policy, said he would support the proposed bill, which was seen as a step toward improving its chances of passage.

“Trump and Republican leaders want nothing more than to drag us into a prolonged government shutdown,” Schumer said on the House floor,” adding, “for Donald Trump, a shutdown would be a gift”.

“This would be the best distraction from his horrific agenda he could ask for… Now Donald Trump is in charge of government chaos,” he added.

He was joined by John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, while other Democrats appeared ready to back down for fear of being blamed for a shutdown with no clear way out.

However, Schumer didn’t explicitly inform his supporters of which direction they might take, telling reporters, “Everyone makes their own decision,” which heightened anticipation for the vote.

The United States has experienced four shutdowns that affected services for more than one business day, the last of which was during Trump’s first term.

During this period, up to 900,000 federal employees could be temporarily laid off, while another million deemed essential workers, from air traffic controllers to police, work without pay.

Social Security and other benefits are covered by law, but some services are often delayed, with parks closing and food safety audits halted.

The latest dispute has focused on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is unofficially led by business mogul Elon Musk, the world’s richest man.

This administration seeks to cut federal spending by $1 trillion this year and says it has saved more than $100 billion.

The Democratic base, angry at what they see as an illegal campaign by the SpaceX and Tesla CEOs against the federal bureaucracy, wants their leaders to do all they can to challenge the administration’s inefficiency and Trump’s administration.

Several senior party figures have warned that a government shutdown could play into Musk’s hands, distracting attention from the government’s most unpopular efficiency measures and making it easier for him to announce further layoffs.

Republicans expressed confidence in securing the necessary Democratic support, as many opposition senators face tough reelection battles in the 2026 midterm elections and fear being blamed if chaos erupts in Congress.

However, Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, who faces a tough reelection battle, said he would vote against it, criticizing the bill’s Republican authors for failing to restrain the reckless and out-of-control Trump administration.

But Senate Republican Leader John Thune warned Democrats that it’s time for them to make up their minds.

He said, “Democrats must decide whether to support this funding bill or shut down the government”.

The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill that partially funds the federal government through September, aiming to avert a shutdown that Trump is desperately trying to avoid.

After being approved by the House of Representatives on Tuesday by a majority of 217 members, compared to 213 who voted against it, the bill was referred to the Senate.

Funding federal agencies is a recurring topic of contention in the United States, with disagreements even occurring within the Republican camp between moderate conservatives and Trump supporters who call for significant cuts in federal spending.