Schumer says Senate Democrats won't supply votes to pass GOP measure to avoid shutdown

Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer says his members will reject a government funding bill that House Republicans wrote and passed – ahead of the Friday night deadline to pass such a measure to avert a government shutdown.

The New York lawmaker's conference has instead proposed a 30-day, temporary spending bill, instead of the House version that keeps the government fully operational through the end of September. But it's unlikely to pass in the Republican-controlled chamber.

“Funding the government should be a bipartisan effort, but Republicans chose a partisan path, drafting their continuing resolution without any input – any input – from congressional Democrats," Schumer said Wednesday night on the Senate floor, in announcing his plan.

Any effort to end debate on such a measure and get it to the Senate floor for a final vote – a process known as "invoking cloture" – requires two-thirds of the chamber's 100 members to vote in favor. Republicans control 53 Senate seats and need 60 votes to end the date, or defeat a filibuster.

"Because of that, Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on the House CR,” Schumer also said.