Senate to vote again on funding bill

The government shutdown extended into its third week Wednesday as Republican and Democratic senators continued to oppose stopgap funding proposals.

On Wednesday, the Senate rejected a Republican-led short-term funding resolution for the ninth time.

By a vote of 51 to 44, the Senate once again failed to approve a stopgap bill, in which Republicans insisted on a “clean” continuing resolution that would provide funds to reopen the government at least until November 21.

Democrats want any funding bill to extend the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of this year. This and other provisions in the Democratic bill would cost about $1 trillion.

Wednesday’s vote came days after the Trump administration said in a court filing that more than 4,000 federal employees had received notices informing them of their layoffs.

White House budget director Russell Vought said Wednesday the total could exceed 10,000 job cuts. But shortly after Vought made that remark, a federal judge in San Francisco temporarily blocked the Trump administration from laying off federal employees during the shutdown.

Trump administration officials attribute the so-called staff cuts to Senate Democrats’ refusal to vote in favor of the Republican funding proposal.

“Democrats have been immersed for 15 days in a government shutdown. Democrats are showing no signs that they are ready for this to end,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said on the chamber floor Wednesday.

“Even the prospect of military families going without pay wasn’t enough for Democrats to reopen the government,” Thune said.

“Democrats also aren’t worried about needy families who are unsure about the future of nutrition assistance, or Americans living in flood zones who are unable to update their insurance or close on a home in the middle of hurricane season,” Thune said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., countered Thune’s argument, saying the government has been shut down since Oct. 1 because Republicans “refuse to work seriously with Democrats to solve the health care crisis that threatens the American people.”

“As we speak, families are receiving letters about their new health insurance rates, and more states are opening their window shopping period to find out what health insurance will look like next year,” Schumer said.

“With open registration fast approaching, Republicans can’t continue to dump this in the future. This is happening now. The health care crisis is now,” Schumer said.

Thune and other Republicans have said they are willing to discuss the issue of extending the ACA’s enhanced tax credits once short-term funding is approved.

“We need five more Democrats to say enough is enough to put the American people ahead of the far left and to support this clear, nonpartisan resolution that sits right there on the Senate desk, ready to be taken up and passed today,” Thune said Wednesday.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump issued a presidential memorandum directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use all remaining funds from Congress to continue paying active duty military personnel.