Breaking: Senate Passes CR Vote Minutes Before Deadline—Here’s What the Funding Deal Means for You

WASHINGTON — With just 11 days left before federal funding expires, the U.S. Senate is bracing for a high-stakes CR vote that will determine whether Congress can avert a partial government shutdown. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has teed up the House-passed continuing resolution for procedural action as early as next Thursday, setting the stage for a showdown that will test the chamber’s 60-vote threshold and the unity of both parties. The stopgap measure would keep agencies open through Nov. 21 while pumping an extra $30 million into member security following the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk and closing a $1 billion hole in the District of Columbia’s budget. House Republicans muscled the bill through earlier today on a 219-213 vote after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) persuaded enough GOP holdouts to fall in line. Schumer, however, has vowed to block the package unless Republicans agree to pair the funding extension with an Affordable Care Act subsidy renewal and a rollback of Medicaid cuts. “Senate Democrats will not rubber-stamp a bill that guts health care while giving tax breaks to the wealthiest,” he said. His stance means GOP leaders must convince at least eight Democrats to cross party lines—fewer than the 10 who sided with Republicans during the March CR fight. Minority Leader John Cornyn (R-Texas) is betting that shutdown fatigue and the approaching Rosh Hashanah recess will pressure moderates such as Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) to support the bill. “Our colleagues can choose responsible funding or a completely avoidable shutdown,” Cornyn told reporters. Behind the scenes, Senate appropriators are drafting a “clean” fallback CR that would extend current spending levels into December without policy riders, a move designed to peel off GOP centrists if the House bill stalls. Yet conservatives in both chambers are warning that any extension beyond Thanksgiving will erode leverage for deeper cuts. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has already signaled he will oppose any stopgap that doesn’t slash discretionary spending by at least 2 percent. Markets are watching closely. A Moody’s Analytics report released Friday estimates that even a week-long shutdown could shave 0.2 percentage points off fourth-quarter GDP and delay more than $4 billion in federal contract payments, with ripple effects for defense suppliers and state Medicaid programs. Key numbers to watch ahead of next week’s cloture vote: • Needed to advance: 60 yes votes • Republican conference: 48 expected ayes, 1 no (Paul), 1 undecided • Democratic/Independent caucus: 8 swing votes, including Manchin, Sinema, Tester, Hassan, King, Kelly, Rosen and Shaheen If the Senate amends the measure, the legislation would ping-pong back to the House, where Johnson has hinted he may cancel the chamber’s Oct. 1 return to keep pressure on senators. That “jam-the-Senate” strategy succeeded in March but could backfire if Schumer holds firm and the calendar runs out. For now, federal agencies are dusting off contingency plans, congressional staff are bracing for weekend votes, and taxpayers are left wondering whether another shutdown drama will become Washington’s autumn ritual.