The US Congress has moved one step closer to a potential government shutdown after a comprehensive budget package to fund the government was blocked in the Senate.
Senate Democrats and some Republicans voting against moving the package forward today signals that the federal government could shut down if an agreement isn’t reached by 11:59 PM Friday.
A procedural vote to move the budget package forward failed by a 45-55 vote. The forecasting market Polymarket is pricing in a 75% chance of a government shutdown on Saturday.
Eight Republican senators, along with all the Democrats, voted against the package. Among those who voted “no” was Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Following his last-minute negative vote, Thune requested a reconsideration of the package so it could be brought back to the agenda.
Democrats say they are blocking the process because the six-bill package includes funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The party argues that it will not support the DHS section unless the Donald Trump administration commits to reforms that would limit the harsh practices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and end violent clashes between federal law enforcement and protesters.
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray announced she would vote “no,” stating that the White House had not yet agreed to a compromise to separate DHS funding from the package. Murray said that five bills funding areas such as childcare, cancer research, air traffic controllers, and the military could pass quickly, but the DHS section, as it currently stands, is “unacceptable.” She added, “ICE and CBP are out of control.”
A cautious sense of optimism had emerged in the Senate this morning.
*This is not investment advice.
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