WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats allowed a major surveillance power to lapse amid their bolder pushback against President Donald Trump, halting even measures that typically draw support from both parties as they resist his agenda and picks for key posts.

This marks a shift from last year when Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer faced internal party criticism for joining Republicans in a spring vote to fund the government. Since that time Democrats have triggered shutdowns, delayed Trump nominees and now halted the bipartisan intelligence measure in search of leverage inside a Republican-controlled Congress.

The approach carries risks when programs lose funding and Democrats have secured few concrete wins so far. Republicans warn that letting the surveillance statute expire poses a serious danger to national security at a moment when millions are arriving for World Cup matches and preparations for the country's 250th anniversary are underway.

Yet the firm stance has helped rally Democrats on Capitol Hill and beyond who insist they have no alternative and that responsibility rests with Trump and his style of governing.

"I do not deny that this carries risks," said Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, on Thursday regarding the decision to let the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act expire beginning Saturday. "But this outcome was avoidable."

Democrats' increased assertiveness coincides with moments when Republicans themselves clash with Trump, who has shown little appetite for compromise with lawmakers from either side. Democrats are holding up renewal of the FISA statute to protest Trump's selection of federal housing regulator and ally Bill Pulte to serve temporarily atop the intelligence community. The move also drew criticism from Republicans who questioned whether Pulte possesses sufficient experience.

Lawmakers from both parties pressed Trump throughout the week to withdraw the appointment, and on Thursday he named a permanent successor shortly after senators departed for the weekend. Confirmation will require time however and Trump has not altered course on Pulte's interim role.

Absent any shift Democrats "will deploy every available option to push back," said Schumer, D-N.Y.

The FISA standoff has earned Senate Democrats renewed standing among core supporters who voiced frustration a year earlier. Schumer and his colleagues have "moved toward a more confrontational stance," according to Joel Payne, a Democratic strategist and former aide to ex-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., accused Democrats of treating national security casually over the past year. He cited the 43-day government shutdown last autumn and a prolonged holdup of funds for Trump immigration enforcement efforts.

"How did we reach a stage where one party has stepped away entirely from any duty to safeguard our nation's security?" Thune asked.

Democrats counter that Pulte, who lacks a national security background, represents an even larger concern. They highlight that as a housing regulator he has advanced probes into prominent political figures viewed by Trump as opponents.

"There is no real debate here," said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. "We cannot extend these authorities when the president signals he intends to wield them not for national protection but for personal political gain."

Strategist Payne believes Democrats have secured modest additional influence since the autumn shutdown.

Democrats failed to obtain the health care subsidy extension they sought after a handful of moderates joined Republicans to end the impasse. They also did not secure the reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol they wanted during months of delay on agency funding. Still the White House agreed to talks even though those discussions ultimately stalled.

Democrats have also grown more cohesive. While moderates helped end the fall shutdown the party remained united in blocking immigration funding and the surveillance authority.

"They have demonstrated to Republicans that they will not yield," Payne said.

Even so the approach may fall short for some base supporters or in efforts to capture a Senate majority in November midterms.

Andrew O'Neill, national advocacy director for the Democratic resistance group Indivisible, expressed concern after some Democrats voiced support for Jay Clayton, Trump's permanent nominee for the intelligence post.

Republicans are moving quickly to confirm Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, before Tulsi Gabbard departs and Pulte assumes the interim post on June 19.

It remains unclear whether Democrats will back Clayton or permit Republicans to accelerate confirmation.

O'Neill welcomed the FISA block over Pulte's appointment yet expressed caution overall.

"It is a mixed picture," O'Neill said of recent months. "The disappointment is that it required so much time."

Senate Republicans find themselves caught between competing pressures after spending months securing border agency funding and now managing the FISA dispute despite an earlier bipartisan agreement.

Republicans are also attempting to coordinate with Trump who upended the intelligence bill by announcing Pulte's appointment just as senators neared passage of the deal.

Trump has undercut Republicans and his own Senate support by endorsing primary challengers against sitting senators. Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana both fell to Trump-backed rivals last month and have joined Democrats in criticizing Pulte.

Senate Democrats express hope that their approach will attract additional Republican support.

Serving in the minority creates "a challenging environment for us," said Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt. "But I am noticing Republicans beginning to shift slightly."