The U.S. Senate on Friday narrowly rejected a measure that would have restored paychecks to hundreds of thousands of federal employees caught in the nation’s longest-ever government shutdown, as Democrats and Republicans remained locked in a bitter stalemate over how to reopen the government.
The bill, which needed 60 votes to advance, failed 53–43 in the Republican-controlled chamber. Most Democrats opposed the measure, arguing it would grant President Donald Trump excessive discretion to decide which workers get paid during the shutdown.
The proposal would have authorized pay for some categories of federal employees but allowed the White House to continue withholding salaries for others.
Three Democrats, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia, and Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, broke ranks to support the bill.
The shutdown, now stretching into its sixth week since it began on October 1, has furloughed about 750,000 federal employees and forced thousands more to work without pay. Essential services, including food assistance and public health programs, have been curtailed, affecting millions of Americans.
Labor unions had urged swift passage of the bill, warning that prolonged financial hardship was pushing many federal workers into crisis.
“Every missed paycheck deepens the financial hole in which federal workers and their families find themselves,” said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees.
Democrats said they opposed the bill because it would enable Trump to selectively decide who gets paid, a power they said he has already abused by continuing pay for military and immigration officers while withholding it from other departments.
“This legislation gives the president too much discretion,” said Senator Gary Peters of Michigan.
The parties remain divided on the broader issue of reopening the government. Democrats insist any funding deal must include an extension of healthcare subsidies for 24 million Americans set to expire at year’s end, while Republicans argue that Congress should first pass a general funding bill before addressing healthcare policy.
With air travel disruptions mounting and federal food aid suspended, pressure is growing for a compromise. Some Republican senators have floated a temporary reopening of agencies while funding select programs for the full fiscal year.
Democrats countered on Friday with a proposal to extend healthcare subsidies for one year and establish a bipartisan committee to explore long-term healthcare reforms, though neither plan appears to have enough support to pass.
“This shutdown is going to last a long time,” warned Senator John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana. “What’s going to get us out of it?”
Democrats blamed the continued deadlock on the White House’s refusal to engage in direct negotiations. “There’s only one story here,” said Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut. “Republicans will not sit down, leader to leader, to try to solve this.”
As the impasse drags on, both sides face mounting political pressure, and millions of Americans face growing uncertainty over when their government, and their paychecks, will return to normal.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
