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The US Senate is set to vote for the 10th time on Thursday (Oct. 16) on House Republicans’ short-term government funding bill. 60 votes will be required to move the proposal forward. Later in the day, the Senate will also consider a procedural motion related to the Defense Department appropriations bill. This proposal would also require 60 votes to begin the process of fully funding the military.
The outcome of these votes will be closely watched as a gauge of Democratic willingness to block routine spending bills in the face of Affordable Care Act subsidy negotiations.
Government shutdown likely to continue
The government shutdown is likely to last through Monday, with the Senate expected to adjourn for the weekend after the votes.
The chamber failed to advance the funding bill to November 21 by a vote of 51-44 earlier Wednesday, marking the ninth failed attempt.
Senator Rand Paul was the only Republican to vote against the bill, while Democratic Senators Catherine Cortez Masto, John Fetterman and independent Angus King voted in favor, highlighting the growing division within the House.
Democratic demands and Republican response
Democrats are demanding that any deal to reopen the federal government include health care provisions. Specifically, they demand an expansion of Affordable Care Act subsidies and a reversal of the Medicaid cuts included in the Trump administration’s recent tax and spending legislation.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has predicted that the shutdown could be the longest in US history, saying he will “not negotiate” with Democrats unless they halt their demands and reopen the government.
Layoffs of federal employees halted by court
On October 15, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from firing nearly 4,000 federal workers. Before the decision, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had estimated that layoffs could exceed 10,000.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston of San Francisco expressed concern that the firings were politically motivated and carried out without proper planning or human resources support, noting the “human cost” of such actions. He issued a temporary restraining order preventing the administration from implementing the layoffs.
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