On Friday, Senate Democrats voted for the fourth time, rejecting a House-passed bill that would fund the government until November 21. This move came just three days after a government shutdown affected tens of thousands of federal workers.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) couldn’t gather enough Democratic support for the straightforward seven-week funding measure, leading to a 54-44 vote. A total of 60 votes were needed for it to pass.
Three Democrats—Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), and Angus King (I-Maine)—supported the bill, despite having previously voted for it twice.
The only Republican to vote against it was Senator Rand Paul (R-KY).
While Republicans have expressed a desire to negotiate with Democrats on extending enhanced health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which are set to expire this year, Thune noted he couldn’t make any firm promises. Democrats are pressing for the subsidy extension to be included in the short-term funding bill.
Senate Republicans also aimed to make potential negotiations more appealing by promising to advance regular spending bills once the government reopens.
Those close to the ongoing discussions suggested that Senate Republicans believed they were “very close” to reaching a bipartisan deal on Thursday, where a handful of Democratic votes could support a continuing resolution to restart government operations.
However, momentum shifted as Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) urged his party to remain steadfast until Republicans agreed to significant concessions regarding health insurance subsidies.
Thune reiterated his call for moderate Democrats to back a House bill that had already been rejected twice earlier in the week.
“We just need more Democrats. We have the majority; 55 senators support this clean, short-term bipartisan CR,” Thune stated at a press conference before the vote.
He described the 24-page bill as the “only viable way” to reopen the government.
However, Democrats are particularly concerned about the impending premium subsidies related to the ACA, which they believe will impact costs once the open registration begins on November 1.
Thune ruled out the possibility of committing to expanded subsidies in return for government reopening, stating, “We can’t make any promises about premium grants because we can’t ensure a vote on it.” He expressed a desire to discuss these issues with Democrats, but cautioned that “it won’t happen while the government is closed.”
President Trump has attempted to pressure Democrats by warning that thousands of federal employees could be permanently dismissed if the shutdown continues.
The Office of Management and Budget, led by Russell Vault, has begun discussions about layoffs targeted at various agencies.
Despite these pressures, Democrats remain opposed to the House’s spending proposal.
Schumer highlighted on the Senate floor that a substantial portion of Americans—70%—support expanding the ACA premium tax credits, citing a poll from KFF, which also showed that 59% of Republicans favored such an expansion.
He described the potential failure to extend these subsidies as “devastating,” asserting that “all Democrats want is to fix this. We’re aligned with the public,” and underscored their readiness to collaborate with Republicans to lower healthcare costs and fund the government.
The Senate also voted for the fourth time against a continuing resolution proposed by alternative Senate Democrats, which aimed to fund the government until October 31, restore significant Medicaid cuts from July, and permanently extend the premium tax credits. This attempt was dismissed with a vote of 46-52.
