Senate begins voting on critical funding measure with shutdown looming

The Senate on Thursday is taking a key vote on a crucial government funding package, with a shutdown set to begin on Saturday at 12:01 a.m. ET.

The procedural vote on the six-bill package is widely expected to fail as Democrats demand that the Republican majority strips funding for the Department of Homeland Security from the measure. Democrats want new restrictions on federal immigration enforcement after agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens this month in Minneapolis.

In addition to Homeland Security, the package would also fund the departments of Defense, Treasury, State, Health and Human Services, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Education. The measure needs 60 votes to clear the Senate and Republicans only have a 53-vote majority, meaning Democrats can block it.

“Democrats are ready to pass five bipartisan funding bills in the Senate,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the floor on Thursday. “We’re ready to fund 96% of the federal government today, but the DHS bill still needs a lot of work.”

Altering the bill, including stripping DHS, would require the House of Representatives to vote on it again. The House is out of Washington on recess.

Republicans on Wednesday began opening the door to avoiding a shutdown, expressing a willingness to strip the DHS bill and continue negotiations while clearing the way for the rest of the package. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Democrats are negotiating with the White House on a way forward.

“Let’s hope it lands,” Thune told reporters Thursday.

“There’s a path to consider some of those things and negotiate that out between Republicans, Democrats, House, Senate, White House, but that’s not going to happen in this bill,” Thune said.

— CNBC’s Karen Sloan and Caleigh Keating contributed to this report.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.