Summary
- House Republicans passed bill as Senate Democrats balk
- Partial government shutdowns begin Saturday unless Congress acts
WASHINGTON, March 12 – U.S. Senate Democrats huddled for hours on Wednesday plotting a course forward on a stopgap funding bill passed by the Republican-controlled House, with only two more days remaining before a partial government shutdown would be triggered.
In a gambit that is unlikely to succeed, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York called for a one-month extension of existing spending with the aim of providing time to complete more comprehensive appropriations bills for this year.