The U.S. Senate passed a temporary spending bill late Friday (March 14), avoiding a partial government shutdown, overcoming Democratic opposition.

The bill was passed by 54 votes to 46, after the Senate passed a procedural vote with a 60-vote threshold to end debate on the bill.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed the bill earlier this week to ensure that the government can still operate after the midnight deadline on Friday.

Senate Democrats are divided on whether to support the short-term, six-month continuing resolution. The bill reduces total government spending by about $7 billion compared to last year and shifts funds from non-defense areas to military spending.

Earlier, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on Thursday night that although he did not like the bill, the consequences of a government shutdown were “worse,” which angered many Democratic lawmakers.

Schumer said during a Senate meeting Friday morning that failure to pass the Republican funding bill would give the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, greater power to decide which government agencies would be shut down.

“A shutdown would fully activate the DOGE,” Schumer said.

Dozens of Democratic House members who voted against the funding bill sent a letter to Schumer on Friday expressing their “strong opposition” to his decision to support the bill.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on Senate Democrats to oppose Schumer’s decision.

“America has experienced Trump shutdowns before — but this harmful bill will only make it worse,” she wrote in a statement Friday.

Trump had urged Congress to pass the funding bill and praised Schumer’s support on Friday. “Congratulations to Chuck Schumer, he made the right decision — it takes ‘courage’!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

The appropriations bill needs a 60-vote threshold to pass a procedural vote in the Senate, meaning Republicans must get the support of at least eight Democrats. The procedural vote passed by 62 votes to 38.

Schumer had previously called on the Senate to pass an earlier version of a continuing resolution that was negotiated by Democrats.

“Government funding should be a bipartisan process. But Republicans chose a partisan path and unilaterally drafted this continuing resolution without any input from congressional Democrats,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Wednesday night.

The House of Representatives passed the temporary appropriations bill on Tuesday by a vote of 217 to 213. One Democratic lawmaker voted in favor of the bill, while one Republican voted against it. The House began its recess into the weekend on Tuesday afternoon, putting more pressure on the Senate to pass the Senate version of the continuing resolution.

House Speaker Mike Johnson convinced dissenters in his party to ensure the bill passed. He told reporters Tuesday that the seven-month continuing resolution is an important step in implementing the Trump administration’s plan to “root out government waste and abuse,” which is led by the Department of Government Efficiency.

“This legislation allows us to move forward on realigning the size and function of the federal government. Washington is going through a moment of significant change, and we’ve never been through a time like this. The Department of Government Efficiency has uncovered massive amounts of fraud, waste and abuse,” Johnson said. “We now have a White House that is truly committed to being fiscally responsible.”