The Senate shot down both Republican and Democratic proposals to keep the government funded, leaving lawmakers just days before a shutdown deadline. Without a deal, federal agencies risk closures starting Oct. 1 when current funding expires.
According to the Washington Examiner, neither party’s version of a temporary funding measure cleared the 60-vote threshold on Friday. The failed votes set up a high-stakes standoff, with the Senate not scheduled to reconvene until Sept. 29, just two days before the deadline.
The Democratic proposal would have extended funding through Oct. 31 while locking in enhanced health insurance subsidies tied to the Affordable Care Act. The GOP version, which already passed the House earlier in the day, planned to fund the government until Nov. 21 but excluded the Democratic provisions, leading to rejection in the Senate.
Democrats insisted on permanent extensions of Obamacare subsidies, which expire at the end of the year, as part of their temporary measure. Senate Republicans resisted that demand, arguing that discussions should continue separately after securing a short-term deal to keep operations open.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune tried to assure Democrats that negotiations over healthcare tax credits could resume later, but failed to win their support. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer countered that Democrats could not put “any faith” in GOP promises.
On the Senate floor, Schumer told colleagues the moment underscored party differences. “Republicans cannot expect that another take-it-or-leave-it extension of government funding that fails to address healthcare costs is going to cut it for the American people,” he said.
Republicans criticized Democrats for prioritizing partisan policy demands over keeping the government open. Many argued that including permanent Obamacare subsidies in a stopgap bill was a political ploy.
Sen. John Barrasso called the Democratic proposal “filled with partisan political poison pills that will never become law.” He accused Schumer of orchestrating what he described as a “Schumer Shakedown” that risked a government shutdown.
Other Republicans echoed Barrasso’s warning, accusing Democrats of leveraging ordinary Americans’ livelihoods to achieve longer-term healthcare policy goals. They rejected efforts to layer in changes that could not pass under normal legislative procedures.
The looming deadline has raised alarms about the impact on federal employees and government services. Without new funding, nonessential departments would halt operations and workers would face pay disruptions.
Democrats also attempted to include limits on President Donald Trump’s impoundment powers over funds and to restore prior rescissions by Republicans, further deepening the partisan divide. Those provisions made GOP senators less inclined to accept the Democratic measure.
The House had been set to meet Sept. 29 and 30, but canceled votes, leaving the Senate as the chamber responsible for preventing a shutdown. Without consensus, the risk of closure with economic and political fallout increases substantially.
Both parties remain locked in their positions with less than two weeks to act. Thune promised that the Senate would revisit the GOP-backed bill after lawmakers return from recess.
Schumer, however, signaled Democrats remain unwilling to back a short-term plan that excludes their healthcare demands. That stance leaves the Senate with limited room for compromise before the Oct. 1 deadline.
Lawmakers now face the choice of adopting a stripped-down funding extension or risking the first shutdown in years. The outcome will likely hinge on whether either side yields on healthcare subsidies or funding conditions tied to President Trump’s authority.