Democrats divided on whether to shut down government or vote with GOP

President Donald Trump needs Senate Democrats’ votes to keep the government funded and open this week. But the group is still agonizing over whether to use this rare point of congressionalleverage to extract concessions from Republicans and risk taking blame for a government shutdown.

Some argue that voting for a bill to fund the government through September, which the House passed 217-213 on Tuesday, would empower Trump to dismantle more of the federal government. Others contend that a shutdown would hurt federal workers and the government even more.