On Tuesday, the Senate turned down the 14th attempt to reopen the federal government, even as there seemed to be some momentum towards a potential agreement to end the ongoing shutdown.
Senators voted 54-44 against a “clean” continuing resolution that had been passed by the House, which would have funded the government until November 21. However, it required 60 votes to succeed.
In spite of some tentative progress, the voting patterns remained mostly unchanged. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada), John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania), and Angus King (Maine) cast their votes with the Republicans. Interestingly, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) diverged from his party once again on this spending proposal.
This vote marked the 35th day of the impasse, tying the longest shutdown period in U.S. history with that of 2018-19.
“Democrats are standing firm,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R.S., remarked during the session. “For a party that says it represents workers, it’s surprising how little the Democratic Party seems to care during this shutdown.”
Thune took the opportunity to reference a recent op-ed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (R-Vt.), urging Democrats not to capitulate to Republicans without ensuring an extension of expired Affordable Care Act subsidies, a key issue in the shutdown debate. He criticized Sanders, suggesting he would prefer the shutdown to persist indefinitely.
Calls for extending the subsidies have increased since the recent public offering began over the weekend.
“Twenty-four million Americans are now facing tough choices about their health care plans or whether they can afford health care at all,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., stated during the session.
“This open enrollment period is unlike previous ones,” he added.
Nevertheless, there’s a sense that a deal could materialize soon. Thune mentioned to reporters on Monday that he felt “optimistic” about reaching an agreement regarding spending commitments, passing minibuses, and deliberating on health care subsidies.
Ongoing bipartisan discussions, particularly among appropriators, are set to continue this week in hopes of finding a potential resolution.
“I think we’re nearing the exit,” Thune noted. “The objective is to create a plan that we can send back to the House to reopen the government.”
