The Senate on Tuesday failed to reopen the federal government for the 13th time, as the shutdown hit the four-week mark. It failed in a 54-45 vote.
On the 28th day of the shutdown, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) tried to advance the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) and was again foiled by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and the Democratic caucus.
Failure to reopen the government on Tuesday came as air traffic controllers missed their first payday. The military is set to miss its first full payday on Friday. Then there is the looming cliff for federal nutrition benefits on Saturday — the same day as open enrollment begins nationwide for Obamacare.
Fox News reports:
Schumer railed against Republicans ahead of the vote, and blamed President Donald Trump for being overseas this week as a reason that no forward progress was being made on reopening the government.
He also went after Thune for again bringing the same bill to the floor and reiterated that Democrats’ position, which is to get an ironclad deal to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies, hadn’t changed.
“It’s a partisan bill and does nothing, most importantly, does nothing to solve the [Obamacare] crisis,” Schumer said. “Just now, here on the floor, the Republican leaders seemed perplexed about what precisely it is that Democrats are pushing for. He knows damn well what Democrats want. It’s the very same thing that a vast majority of Americans want, including nearly 60% of MAGA voters. We want lower healthcare costs now.”
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
