Senate Democrats voted Wednesday to block a House-passed stopgap funding bill that would reopen the federal government until Nov. 21, but several Democrats broke with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and supported the measure.
Wednesday’s vote marked the third time in two weeks that the House-passed continuing resolution failed to advance on the Senate floor — but it was the first time senators voted on the issue while the government is closed. The measure needed 60 votes to advance and failed 55-45, the same margin as Tuesday’s vote.
Three members of the Democratic caucus voted to advance the GOP resolution: Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), a member of the Democratic leadership team; Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.); and Sen. Angus King (Maine), an independent who caucuses with Democrats.
They voted for the resolution Tuesday evening as well.
Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) was the only Republican to vote against the measure. He opposed it because he says it would prolong Biden-era funding levels.
Schumer said the vote shows that Republicans simply don’t have the votes to pass their bill and need to negotiate with Democrats to extend the enhanced health insurance premium subsidies that are due to expire at the end of the year.
He said Republicans also need to agree to language to block the White House budget director, Russell Vought, from unilaterally targeting congressionally approved funding.
“It’s clear that the way out of this shutdown is to sit down and negotiate with Democrats to address the looming health care crisis that faces tens of millions of American families,” Schumer said on the Senate floor, referring to rising health insurance premiums that companies are forecasting for 2026.
“Republicans tried to bully us, and it’s clear they can’t. They don’t have the votes. The way out of this is for Republicans to finally roll up their sleeves and get to work,” Schumer said.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said he plans to keep the Senate in session over the weekend to vote again and again on the House-passed funding bill, declaring there’s no alternative measure to reopen government that would get President Trump’s signature.
“As of this morning, critical federal employees including members of the military, Border Patrol agents and air traffic controllers are working without pay,” Thune said on the Senate floor. “Democrats are well aware of the damage of a government shutdown.”
He again urged more Democratic moderates to buck their leadership and vote for the 24-page bill, which would keep government funded at current fiscal year levels.
“We need a handful of Democrats to join Republicans to reopen the government and once we do that, then we can talk about the issues that Democrats are raising,” he said.
Thune says he’s willing to negotiate an extension of the expiring Affordable Care Act premium subsidies, but only after Democrats vote to reopen the government. But he says an extension of the subsidies needs to be discussed along with reforms to root out waste, fraud and abuse in the program.
“This was supposed to be COVID-related. These are expanded ObamaCare tax credits and frankly they’re not tax credits really at all. For the most part they are direct subsidies to insurance companies,” Thune said Tuesday.
“If there are Democrats out there who will recognize it needs to be reformed and are willing to work with us … we are willing to have that conversation,” he said.
“Anything that’s going to be done is going to have to be done with significant reforms,” he cautioned.