Top U.S. Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer told colleagues behind closed doors on Thursday that he would vote to advance a stopgap funding bill, signaling that his party would provide the votes to avert a government shutdown,

With funding set to run out at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, several more Senate Democrats remain non-committal while others publicly declared they would not vote for the short-term Republican budget bill.

Democrats have a rare moment of leverage in Washington after losing the November election and watching helplessly as Elon Musk dismantles the federal government.