The party’s split over supporting a spending extension to avert a lapse in government funding boiled down to a practical question of how much power the president has in a shutdown.

WASHINGTON (TNND) — The Senate has passed a six-month spending bill Friday evening, hours before a potential government shutdown. This comes after fierce Democratic opposition to the bill. The final vote was 54-46. Democrats were frustrated that Republicans went ahead with the funding bill with little input from them.