The Senate on Friday once again failed to advance a stopgap spending measure, leaving the federal government in a partial shutdown for another day and sending lawmakers home for the weekend with no agreement in sight.
The 54–44 vote fell short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster and move the bill forward. It marked the third failed attempt this week — and the fourth in the last two weeks — to pass a continuing resolution to reopen the government, Newsmax reported.
With the defeat, the shutdown will now extend into the weekend. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., had warned his colleagues earlier in the day that if Democrats blocked the bill again, he would dismiss the chamber until Monday.
“Democrats just voted to continue to keep the government shutdown to give free healthcare to illegal aliens,” the White House wrote in a sharply worded post on X. “SHAME ON THEM.”
On Thursday, President Trump expressed enthusiasm about what he described as an “unprecedented opportunity” to reduce federal spending thanks to the shutdown, POLITICO reported. His administration announced $8 billion in cuts to green energy projects, all located in states that supported his 2024 opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
In addition, major infrastructure projects in New York have been placed on hold. The state, once Trump’s home, is also represented by top Democratic congressional leaders, adding to the political significance of the decision.
The failed vote underscored the stalemate that has gripped Congress since government funding expired at the beginning of the month. Republicans in both chambers have pushed for a straightforward stopgap bill to keep the government open while broader spending negotiations continue.
Democrats, however, have insisted on tying any deal to healthcare concessions, particularly provisions that would undo restrictions from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that prevent certain illegal immigrants from receiving Medicaid payments.
That demand has become the central sticking point. Republicans have blasted it as an attempt to sneak Medicaid benefits for migrants into a larger funding debate, while Democrats have framed it as a matter of protecting healthcare for all residents.
“Today, we saw the Republicans run the same play, and they got the same result,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters after the vote. “The bottom line is we’ve had four votes, and they haven’t gotten the votes on any of them. We’ve asked Republican leaders for months to sit down and talk with us. They have refused and barreled us into a shutdown. They thought they could bludgeon us and threaten us and scare us. It ain’t working because my caucus and Democrats are adamant that we must protect the health care of the American people.”
Schumer’s comments came after days of dueling narratives from both parties over who is to blame for the impasse. Republicans have seized on the polling that shows voters largely disapprove of a shutdown and are inclined to fault Democrats for prolonging it.
Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., have tried to turn the criticism back on Republicans by framing them as unwilling to “compromise” on issues like Affordable Care Act tax credits and Medicaid eligibility.
But within the Senate, cracks have begun to show.
Democrats Cortez Masto and Fetterman broke with their caucus to back the GOP’s plan, signaling unease with keeping the government closed. Independent Sen. Angus King also voted yes, aligning with most Republicans.
Meanwhile, Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., told Newsmax that even Democrats appear unsure why they are holding out.
“We’re still in a Schumer Shutdown,” Rounds said. “And I know that’s cliche, but a Schumer Shutdown is what we’re dealing with right now. Members of his own team over there are saying we’re not exactly sure why we’re doing this.”
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