Additional Coverage:
Government Shutdown Enters Day 16 as Senate Stalemate Continues
Washington D.C. – The federal government shutdown has now stretched into its 16th day, with no end in sight after the Senate once again failed to advance a Republican funding bill on Thursday. This marks the tenth time the measure has been brought to a vote and fallen short of the 60 votes required to move forward.
The vote on the House-passed bill, which would extend government funding until November 21, was 51 to 45, with no new Democratic support for the legislation.
In a new development, the Senate also voted on a long-term appropriations bill to fund the Pentagon, an attempt by Senate Majority Leader John Thune to restart some government operations. This effort also failed to garner the necessary 60 votes, with only three Democrats joining Republicans in support. Thune expressed frustration on the Senate floor following the vote.
Amid the ongoing impasse, Thune stated he has offered Democrats a guaranteed vote on a one-year extension of health care tax credits, a key demand from the Democratic side. However, he clarified he could not guarantee its passage. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer later responded that no formal proposal had been presented and that Democrats are “not negotiating in public.”
Senate Adjourns, Shutdown Continues into Next Week
Following Thursday’s failed votes, the Senate adjourned and is scheduled to reconvene on Monday at 3 p.m. This means the government shutdown will persist until at least October 20, unless an unexpected breakthrough occurs over the weekend.
Jeffries Calls on Trump to Reengage with Congressional Leaders
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) urged President Trump to hold another meeting with congressional leaders to resolve the shutdown. Speaking on the steps of the Capitol, Jeffries emphasized that past shutdowns have historically been resolved through direct negotiations between the President and House and Senate leadership.
Jeffries claimed he has not had a formal conversation with House Speaker Mike Johnson during the shutdown, suggesting that President Trump has refused to allow GOP leadership to meet with their Democratic counterparts. The last meeting between Trump, Jeffries, Johnson, Thune, and Schumer took place at the White House on September 29, two days before government funding lapsed.
Thune: “The Democrat Party is the Party That Will Not Take ‘Yes’ for an Answer”
An visibly angered Senator Thune sharply criticized Democrats on the Senate floor after the Pentagon funding bill failed to advance. “Democrats just voted against the bill that would actually pay the troops,” Thune declared, calling it “politics.”
He further asserted that “the Democrat Party is the party that will not take ‘yes’ for an answer,” citing the repeated failures to pass the temporary funding measure, his offer of a guaranteed vote on health care demands, and now the rejection of the Pentagon funding bill.
Pentagon Funding Bill Fails to Advance
The bill to fund the Defense Department for a full year failed to reach the 60-vote threshold, with a 50-44 vote. Three Democrats – Senators Jeanne Shaheen (NH), John Fetterman (PA), and Catherine Cortez Masto (NV) – joined Republicans in supporting the measure.
This vote stalled Thune’s new strategy of bringing up individual funding bills, as most Democrats continue to oppose the broader House-passed funding bill. Thune had expressed hopes of attaching other appropriations bills to the Pentagon measure, but the failed cloture vote has temporarily halted that possibility.
Schumer Dispels Thune’s Health Care Proposal Claim
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer denied that Senator Thune had presented any formal proposal regarding a vote on extending health insurance tax credits. Thune had earlier stated he could guarantee a vote, though not the outcome.
Democrats have made the tax credit extension a condition for their support to reopen the government. House Speaker Mike Johnson had previously said Schumer declined Thune’s offer.
“We’re not negotiating in public, plain and simple,” Schumer said, speaking alongside House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “The American people are in a crisis in health care and we are fighting for them – we are on their side.”
Schumer Touts “No Kings” Rallies
Senator Schumer promoted upcoming “No Kings” rallies scheduled for the weekend, encouraging Americans to participate and exercise their right to free speech. He announced his intention to join the marchers to “celebrate what makes this country so great.”
Republicans have suggested Democrats are entrenched in their shutdown position until after these rallies, aiming to appeal to their base. Schumer has faced pressure to take a firm stance against Republicans since allowing a funding measure to advance in March.
Schumer reiterated Thursday morning that Republicans must negotiate with Democrats to reopen the government, particularly concerning the extension of health insurance tax credits. “They say there’s nothing to negotiate.
That’s got to change soon. Has to, for the sake of the American people,” he said.
Thune Urges Democrats to Allow Pentagon Funding Bill to Advance
Ahead of the vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune appealed to Democrats to allow the full-year Pentagon funding bill to advance. “If they want to stop the Defense bill, I don’t think it’s very good optics for them,” Thune told reporters.
He suggested Democrats could block the bill later in the process, encouraging them to “let us get on it, and then let’s see if we can add.” Thune mentioned the desire to add appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, envisioning a “mini-bus” package of appropriations bills.
Thune stated that House Speaker Mike Johnson has committed to conferencing on the funding legislation even if the government remains closed.
Johnson Noncommittal on House Vote for Health Care Tax Credits
At his daily press conference, Speaker Mike Johnson was evasive regarding a potential House vote on extending health care tax credits, stating the issue would be part of the “deliberative process” among members.
When asked about Senator Thune’s offer to Democrats of a vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, Johnson reiterated that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had declined the offer because “they wanted a guaranteed outcome.”
“The Obamacare subsidy issue is not the issue of today. It is a subsidy that expires Dec.
31,” Johnson explained. “We were always planning to continue the debate and discussion about that issue in October and November.
Ironically, Democrats are taking the time off the clock for us to do that.”
He emphasized the complexity of the issue, stating, “It’s not something that four people can go into a back room and guarantee an outcome on. It can’t be done.” Johnson maintained that it was not possible for Thune to guarantee an outcome to Schumer, as deliberations within Congress were ongoing.