Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said Sunday that the Republican Party forced Democratic lawmakers to have to choose between supporting a continuing resolution to fund the federal government or endure more cuts to it.

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and nine other Senate Democrats voted with Republicans to pass the CR, but his support sparked backlash among Democrats, with some calling for a change in leadership.

“When you understand how dangerous a shutdown is, it’s even more, sort of, understandable why they would feel that way,” Whitehouse, who voted against the resolution, told ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz. “And so I think what we need to do is stop the intramural fighting and bleeding as quickly as we can. We are in a fight for our democracy right now, and if we’re having a fight in our dugout, we’re not out on the field, and the other team is scoring runs.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.