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Senate Democrats are running out of time to decide whether fighting President Donald Trump and Elon Musk\u2019s funding freezes is worth forcing a government shutdown.<\/p>\n

Assuming House Republicans can successfully pass the six-month spending patch they plan to put on the floor next week, GOP senators will need help from at least eight Democrats to get a House-passed stopgap bill through the other chamber. And they could need more if other Republicans join Sen. Rand Paul in opposition.<\/p>\n

Right now, Republicans have one Democrat committed: Sen. John Fetterman, who said Thursday that he\u2019ll \u201cnever\u201d be part of shutting the government down. He said it was \u201cbullshit\u201d that Democrats \u201cwould even rattle those sabers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sen. Dick Durbin, the chamber\u2019s No. 2 Democrat, said Thursday that he didn\u2019t believe enough of his members were willing to support a full-year stopgap bill to get it through the Senate. But Democrats have clearly been keeping their options open \u2014 Senate Democratic leaders have avoided saying the party would blanket oppose a clean funding patch, and they\u2019ve privately urged members to keep their powder dry.<\/p>\n

Senators are listening, for now. Across roughly a dozen interviews, Senate Democrats largely declined to say they\u2019d vote against a clean stopgap. Sen. Tim Kaine said he is \u201canti-shutdown\u201d but declined to endorse Republicans\u2019 plan. And swing-state Sen. Elissa Slotkin told Mia she was \u201copen to all options\u201d but \u201cI gotta understand what protections we have that money we appropriate is going to be used right for the purposes it was appropriated for.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bill may not be totally clean. It\u2019s expected to include measures that would avert cuts in pay for doctors treating Medicare patients<\/u><\/a> and extend eased Medicare telehealth rules. Those provisions are expected to be narrow. But any additions could make passing a stopgap harder, given that fiscal conservatives don\u2019t want more spending and Democrats would like to propose additions of their own.<\/p>\n

Several Democrats \u2014 and some Republicans \u2014 want to give negotiators more time to hash out a deal on overall spending levels with top appropriators saying an agreement is imminent. But GOP Sen. Susan Collins, the chamber\u2019s top appropriator, indicated Thursday that House Republicans would not support a shorter stopgap.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do not think the House is interested in that,\u201d she told reporters, adding, \u201cI don’t know what’s going to happen next week, but I’m determined to prevent a government shutdown.\u201d<\/p>\n

What else we\u2019re watching:<\/b><\/p>\n