The party’s split over supporting a spending extension to avert a lapse in government funding boiled down to a practical question of how much power the president has in a shutdown.

The Senate finds itself in a familiar position, working to avoid a partial government shutdown with just hours to spare.

N.Y., said Wednesday that Democrats would reject a government funding bill that Republicans wrote and passed through the House, leaving it uncertain whether Congress can avert a shutdown before Friday night's deadline.