Per Bloomberg TV: US shutdown odds increase as Democrats dig in against GOP bill

"Senate Democrats dug in Thursday in their standoff with republicans over Elon musk's cost-cutting crusade as a Saturday US government shutdown neared with no resolution in sight.

Several moderate Senate Democrats signaled on Thursday they'll vote to block the bill, preferring instead a four-week funding patch that would allow time for cross-party talks on language to rein in musk and scrap a one billion cut to the District of Columbia budget."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-13/democrats-in-standoff-with-gop-as-us-shutdown-deadline-nears

"Senate Democrats dug in Thursday in their standoff with Republicans over Elon Musk’s cost-cutting crusade as a Saturday US government shutdown neared with no resolution in sight.

Several moderate Senate Democrats signaled on Thursday they’ll vote to block the bill, preferring instead a four-week funding patch that would allow time for cross-party talks on language to rein in Musk and scrap a $1 billion cut to the District of Columbia budget.

The two Democratic senators from the swing state of Arizona — Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego — as well as New Mexico’s Ben Ray Lujan, New Jersey Andy Kim and Virginia’s Mark Warner support a blockade of the bill.

Democrats’ most dedicated and active voters are clamoring for a confrontation to constrain President Donald Trump and Musk’s efforts to dismantle entire federal agencies. But many moderates had been wary of shutting down the government and risking being blamed for interrupting government services.

Many of them prefer to join battle over protecting Medicaid or other broadly supported government benefits.

But the tone in the Senate, particularly among these key moderates, is becoming less conciliatory the closer the shutdown deadline comes."