Government funding stopgaps from both Republican and Democratic parties are rejected by the Senate, potentially leading to a government shutdown.
The U.S. Senate has failed to pass either Democrats' or Republicans' government funding proposals, leaving only two days before the government potentially shuts down on October 1, 2025.
The Republicans' Continuing Resolution (CR) passed the House on Friday morning, aiming to extend current government funding levels until November 21. However, the Senate failed to meet the 60-vote threshold for passage. The Republican CR included $30 million for additional lawmaker security and $58 million for U.S. Supreme Court judges and members of the executive branch.
On the other hand, the Democrats' CR would have extended funding until October 31 and included numerous policy riders, such as permanently extending the temporary COVID-19 era expansion of Obamacare Premium Tax Credits. But this proposal did not receive any Republican support.
The failure to pass a funding stopgap has led to blame on both sides. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-SD, criticized Democrats for trying to hold government funding hostage to partisan demands. Thune stated that they are prepared to have a vote on a bill already passed by the House and ready to be signed by the president when they return.
In response, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., made a motion to reconsider passage on the bills when Congress returns. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., posted on social media that this is a crisis and he refuses to act like it's business as usual. Warnock justified voting no on the clean CR because it fails to fund health care, suggesting that the crisis he referred to is related to government or healthcare funding.
Senators have left town for a week-long recess, which means they have only two days when they return to pass a funding stopgap before the government shuts down. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., voted yes on both proposals, while two Republicans - Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, - joined all but one Democrat in voting against the Republicans' proposal.
Democratic leaders are urging a bipartisan budget agreement to avoid the shutdown before the funding expires on September 30, 2025. As the Senate reconvenes, both sides remain firm in their positions, with no signs of backing down. The potential government shutdown looms as a significant challenge for the U.S. Congress in the coming days.
