Senate Democrats voted for the 13th time Tuesday to block a House-passed bill to reopen the federal government, despite a plea filed this week from the largest federal workers union in the country to end the 28-day shutdown.
The measure passed by the House of Representatives to fund the government through November 21 failed by a vote of 54-45. It took 60 votes to advance.
Only three members of the Democratic caucus voted to advance the bill: Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Angus King (Maine), an independent who caucuses with Democrats.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said before the vote that Republicans must begin negotiating an extension of expiring health insurance subsidies to get federal workers back to work.
He noted that the open enrollment period for the health insurance marketplace under the Affordable Care Act begins Nov. 1.
“Republicans don’t even want to talk about fixing health care. Americans are on the brink of a health crisis the likes of which we’ve never seen in our lifetimes,” he warned.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) reiterated his rebuttal to Democrats that GOP leaders would not talk about the impending expiration of health insurance tax credits until Democrats vote to reopen the government.
Thune cited a statement Monday from Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, in which he urged Democrats to vote for a tidy, ongoing resolution to reopen the government.
“The path forward for Congress is clear: Reopen the government immediately based on a clean continuing resolution that allows for continued debate on larger issues. End quote. … This comes from the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, a union,” Thune said on the Senate floor.
Tuesday’s vote came amid growing pressure on Congress to reopen the government as it nears the 30-day mark.
Lawmakers from both parties are warning that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are set to expire on November 1 and that airports across the country are experiencing more constant delays as the closure puts a strain on air traffic controllers.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned over the weekend that the government won’t have enough money to cover military paychecks on Nov. 15.
Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve could be forced to make a major decision about cutting interest rates at a time when the government is no longer collecting and releasing information about the economy, including labor, manufacturing and export statistics.
