The Senate voted on Thursday for the seventh time to reject a bill passed by the House aimed at reopening the federal government. Only three Democrats sided with Republicans to try to break the stalemate.
This legislation, proposed by House Republicans to fund the government until November 21, was a “clean” continuing resolution that would maintain current funding levels. However, it was blocked with a 54-45 procedural vote, falling short of the 60 votes needed to advance.
Following the vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune introduced a motion to reconsider the House bill, allowing him the option to bring it back to the Senate floor later on.
Polls suggest that Americans are increasingly blaming the government shutdown on the Republicans who control both the White House and Congress, and there’s no indication that Democrats are willing to compromise.
In an interview with Punchbowl, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer from New York expressed confidence, saying, “Every day gets better for us.” He had recently released a video accusing Republicans of causing the shutdown, stating, “It’s outrageous. It’s literally life or death. We’re not going to let the Republicans destroy our health care system.”
This bold position led some Republican leaders to accuse Democrats of engaging in political maneuvering. Thune countered, asserting, “This is not a political game. The longer this continues, the more Americans will see the Democratic Party as responsible for the shutdown.”
Vice President Vance also criticized Schumer on social media for his remarks about improvements, suggesting they were insincere.
Nonetheless, criticisms from Republicans haven’t appeared to sway Democratic senators. In response to questions about whether they bear any responsibility for the shutdown, Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut stated, “At the end of the day, we have a job to do, and that’s to protect this country from a slide toward authoritarianism and to safeguard our constituents from significant cost increases.”
He emphasized that while the shutdown is troublesome, the repercussions are dire, warning that over 4 million people could lose health insurance, leading to potential fatalities later in the year.
Senate Republicans plan to keep the pressure on Democrats by bringing the House’s stopgap funding bill up for another vote. Originally, the Senate was set to adjourn during the week of Columbus Day, but now lawmakers anticipate that they will remain in Washington to address the government shutdown.
Earlier in the day, the Senate rejected a separate plan from Senate Democrats aimed at reopening the government. This proposal sought to permanently extend increased health insurance premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and reverse nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts enacted by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but it failed with a party-line vote of 47-50.
Since September 19, the Democratic proposal to fund the government has faced defeat in six votes. With the shutdown set to begin on October 15, more than 1.3 million military members will not receive their first paycheck, and the Trump administration is exploring ways to fund military pay.
The nine-day shutdown is also straining airport operations, as Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers are working without pay. Flights have already been delayed at Burbank and Nashville airports due to staffing challenges.
