The Senate passed a Republican spending plan Friday, averting a US government shutdown hours before a midnight deadline while exacerbating a furious struggle within the Democratic party over how to confront Donald Trump.

The U.S. Senate on Friday voted to advance a stopgap spending bill and avert a partial government shutdown, after Democrats backed down in a standoff driven by anger over President Donald Trump's campaign to slash the federal workforce.

Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada were among the first Democrats to publicly back the Republican funding bill, arguing that a shutdown would only strengthen Trump’s hand. They were joined by six more Democrats—Dick Durbin of Illinois,