Senate Democrats block bill to end government shutdown for 11th time

By Thérèse Boudreaux
The Center Square

For the 11th time, U.S. Senate Democrats blocked legislation Monday evening to reopen and fund the federal government, indicating that Republicans’ strategy of waiting out the opposition isn’t working.

The federal government has remained closed for 20 days now, the third-longest shutdown in U.S. history.

“You have to give the Democrats credit for one thing, and that’s a healthy dose of gall,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said on the chamber floor. “For the sake of the American people, let’s hope that there are some Democrat senators who will eventually put the needs of their constituents over the demands of their far-left base.”

Congress was supposed to pass all 12 annual appropriations bills funding federal agencies for fiscal year 2026 by Sept. 30.

Realizing lawmakers couldn’t finalize all the bills in time to meet the government shutdown deadline, House Republicans passed a clean Continuing Resolution to keep government funding on cruise control until mid-November, buying Congress more time.

Senate Democrats blocked the CR, however, demanding that any funding stopgap include costly health care policies, such as renewing the pandemic-era expansion of the Obamacare Premium Tax Credits, set to expire Dec. 31.

Republicans refused to include extraneous policy in the CR. As a result, the federal government ran out of funding and shut down Oct. 1, and lawmakers are no closer to a deal.

Millions of Americans could see their health care premiums spike at the end of the year if the Obamacare subsidies are not extended.

“I just voted NO on the Republican funding bill. Just like the last ten (10!!) times we voted on this exact same bill, it includes absolutely NOTHING to save health care tax credits that millions of Americans rely on,” Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash., posted on X.

While Republican leaders have acknowledged this fact and promised Democrats a vote on the health care measure, they are unwilling to make guarantees that it will pass and are calling Democrats “unreasonable” for expecting such a promise.

“Democrats are solely responsible for the Obamacare tax credit cliff, yet they’re trying to pin this disaster on Republicans while also asking Republicans to bail them out,” Thune posted on X Monday evening. “We’re not going to negotiate until Democrats stop holding government funding hostage.”