White House wins budget plan

The US Senate passed a spending bill through fiscal year 2025, making it easier for President Donald Trump to implement policies, in a development that has divided the Democratic Party.

Just hours before the US government shutdown at midnight on March 15 (local time), a group of Democratic senators unexpectedly turned to support the budget plan until the end of fiscal year 2025, helping the bill pass after many dramatic developments. According to CNN, with a 54-46 support rate in the Senate, the bill was then sent to President Donald Trump for signing into law.

The group of parliamentarians "turned around"

The bill was passed by the House of Representatives on March 11 by a narrow margin of 217-213, with only one Democrat in support. After the vote, the House went into recess, leaving the Senate with only two options: pass the bill or shut down the government. Democrats had wanted a 30-day stopgap funding bill to give bipartisan negotiators more time to reach an agreement on a $1.7 trillion, six-month spending bill.

Sen. Schumer speaks to reporters at the Capitol

Many Democratic senators opposed the six-month spending bill because it did not include any of the party’s demands. According to The Hill, the bill increases defense spending by $6 billion, increases the budget for border enforcement, and cuts $13 billion in non-defense spending. More worrying for Democrats, the bill does not include specific instructions on how the money will be spent, which could allow the Trump administration to divert funds to programs it favors, rather than those pushed by Democrats.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had wanted to block the bill, but at the last minute, he joined eight of his own senators and a close independent in voting in favor. This is a procedural vote to consider whether a bill will be brought to a vote in the Senate. In this step, a bill needs the support of at least 60 senators to be voted on. The result was 62 in favor and 38 against.

Internal Democratic Party disagreement

Speaking before the vote, Mr. Schumer said he wanted the government to remain open. "I believe that is the best way to minimize the harm that the Trump administration has caused to the American people," he shared. Acknowledging that the bill from the House of Representatives was "very bad," he warned that the consequences of a government shutdown would be "much worse." According to him, the government shutdown would allow Mr. Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, who is in charge of the Government Efficiency Board, "to have carte blanche to destroy important government services at a significantly faster rate than they are now."

With the exception of Mr Schumer's leadership, many Democrats in the Senate and House were outraged by the vote, which they saw as the party's first real surrender. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Mr Schumer had caused "a deep sense of anger and betrayal" within the party.

"And this is not just about progressive Democrats. This is about the entire party," she stressed, calling the vote a "big slap in the face" for the party. Even the Democratic advocacy group Pass the Torch called for Mr. Schumer to resign. However, Mr. Schumer said voting in favor was really the only viable option and asserted that many Democrats still supported him.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nha-trang-thang-loi-ke-hoach-ngan-sach-185250315224849914.htm