Senate Democrats are staring down a major dilemma as they agonize over how to handle the GOP’s stopgap spending bill in the face of a potential government shutdown by the end of the week.

Democrats head toward the Friday deadline trying to reckon with a problem few in the conference fully know how to wrap their arms around: a no-win situation, with every avenue available being equally thorny.

They held a second lengthy party luncheon in as many days on Wednesday in search of consensus on the best way out of the morass; they emerged with a plan to insist on a vote on a 30-day continuing resolution (CR) before they would consider voting for Republicans’ six-month plan.

The 30-day CR, however, is almost certainly not viable. And while Senate Democrats said Wednesday they won’t vote to advance Republicans’ bill, pressure on them will only increase.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) sent the House home after the chamber passed the GOP six-month CR mostly along party lines on Tuesday. The House isn’t slated to be back until March 24, leaving Senate Democrats few options beyond eating the GOP’s stopgap measure or allowing the government to shut down.

Neither is palatable to them.

“They’re both horrible outcomes,” Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) said ahead of Wednesday’s luncheon. “I went to sleep last night. I stayed up late and really thought about it. Had one decision in mind. Woke up and realized, ‘No, I don’t. That’s not the right........

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