Senate to vote on advancing GOP funding bill to avert government shutdown
NBCMAR 12
Trump Signs Funding Bill to Avoid Government Shutdown
Above: US Pres. Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington, D.C., US, on March 14, 2025 Image copyright: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
This is another big victory for Republicans, one for which Speaker Mike Johnson must to be praised. It's certain that Democrats were never in a good situation as the Trump administration would be able to cut spending with the funding bill approved or with the government shut down, but GOP unity left the opposition in a no-win situation.
Democratic narrative
When faced with only bad options, one must choose the lesser evil. Some Democrats argued that triggering a government shutdown would allow Trump to take more power, while others pointed out that the funding bill would give him near-absolute authority over several projects. This is a bitter defeat that may have disastrous consequences, but the Democrats had little choice in this instance.