Lawmakers have failed to reach a bipartisan deal to fund the government, which went into shutdown on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON—Hours into a government shutdown, the Senate again blocked a pair of rival stopgap bills to fund the government, amid a partisan standoff that shows no signs of easing.
The federal government shut down Wednesday morning after Congress failed to pass a Republican plan to fund operations through Nov. 21.
Democrats have opposed the bill, demanding the inclusion of health care measures, such as an extension of Obamacare subsidies that are due to expire at the end of the year. The White House and Republicans have rejected negotiating these proposals in exchange for keeping the government open.
The Senate on Wednesday first rejected a Democrat-led proposal, 47–53. It would have funded the government through Oct. 31 and rolled back the Medicaid cuts enacted under the GOP-led One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It would have also extended subsidies under Obamacare.
“They wanted us to add over $1.5 trillion in new federal spending, paid for, of course, by … hard-working American taxpayers, simply for funding the government and by current spending levels,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Oct. 1 during a press conference with fellow congressional GOP leaders on Capitol Hill. “We are not going to do that. We can’t do that. We won’t do it.”
The Senate then rejected the 24-page House-passed GOP bill, 55–45, that would have funded the government for seven weeks. It would have also provided increased funding for security for members of Congress, the executive branch, and the Supreme Court.
On Sept. 30, three Democrats—Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), John Fetterman (Pa.), and Angus King (I-Maine), an independent who caucuses with Democrats—joined Republicans in voting in favor of it, but it did not reach the necessary 60 votes to advance past a filibuster. This marks the third time that the plan has failed to advance in the Senate.
