Senate Republicans have voted to reject a Democratic-led bill aimed at funding the government past the end of the month, marking the first of several partisan votes designed to avoid a potential October 1 shutdown. The bill, which combined government funding with healthcare provisions and constraints on President Donald Trump’s spending authority, faced a 47-45 vote, falling short of the 60 required votes for passage.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer pushed for GOP senators to publicly reject certain healthcare elements of the proposal, including a permanent extension of soon-to-expire health insurance subsidies. Schumer framed the two bills as stark contrasts, urging senators to choose between supporting the current status quo or aligning with the American people on healthcare and government operations.
The rejection of the Democratic proposal has set the stage for the Senate to subsequently vote on the House-passed stopgap bill, which funds the government until November 21. However, this GOP-backed proposal is also expected to fail, as it would require 60 votes, necessitating support from at least seven Democratic senators. The Democratic-led House approved the bill, with only a single Democratic vote from Maine Rep. Jared Golden.
Democrats have vowed to oppose the GOP bill, citing a lack of prior negotiations with Republican counterparts. While Republicans suggest openness to dialogue, they have resisted incorporating the healthcare subsidies into the September funding bill, as these credits expire at year-end. Senate Majority Leader John Thune emphasized the contrast, calling the Republican bill ‘clean and nonpartisan’ and the Democratic bill the opposite.
Initially reluctant to give Democrats a vote on their proposal, Republicans eventually agreed to side-by-side votes after procedural maneuvering by the Democrats. This agreement was reached by the end of Thursday, as reported by POLITICO, allowing the Senate to proceed with the votes on both bills.