President Donald Trump’s federal spending plan, which includes sweeping budget cuts to the federal government, was signed into law on March 15. This follows weeks of contention in the Senate, where ten Democrats voted alongside Republicans to approve the bill. 

Weeks before, Democratic party leaders had planned to vote against the bill, making it unlikely to pass. However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s announcement that he would support the bill just days before a vote threw the party into disarray. Ultimately, it passed in a 54-46 vote. 

According to Schumer, passing the spending bill was the lesser of two evils; the alternative would be causing a government shutdown, where federal employees go for months without paid work. However, many of his colleagues viewed the spending vote as a rare opportunity for Democrats to demonstrate their distrust in the Trump administration. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who criticized Schumer’s decision, argued that the party should have been more united in addressing Trump’s sweeping policy changes.

After the vote, the Democratic Party’s approval rating dropped to its lowest in over thirty years, according to polls by CNN and NBC News.