(The Center Square) – Democratic U.S. Senators voted against opening the federal government for a sixth time Wednesday afternoon, dimming hopes that Congress will reach a funding deal in time for thousands of federal workers to receive their next paychecks.
It’s day eight of the partial government shutdown, the first in nearly seven years that lawmakers have let federal agencies run out of money to support their operations.
Despite voting for nearly the same bill a total of 13 times during the Biden administration, Senate Democrats have continued to vote down Republicans’ House-passed Continuing Resolution that would simply extend government funding for seven weeks.
Democratic leaders oppose the bill because it does nothing to prevent the enhanced Obamacare Premium Tax Credits from expiring in December, a policy issue that they believe must be addressed now to prevent millions of Americans’ health care premiums from spiking.
By refusing to negotiate now on health care policy and refusing to pass Democrats’ doomed $1.4 trillion counterproposal, Republicans and President Donald Trump “own” the shutdown, Democrats argue.
“It’s now been a full week of Donald Trump’s government shutdown. 700,000+ federal employees furloughed[.] Disruptions to critical services[.] Businesses nationwide with government contracts are in peril[.] Because Donald Trump and the Republicans would rather close the government than fix healthcare for millions of Americans,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., posted on social media after the vote.
Most Republicans have said they are willing to discuss health care policy with Democrats, but only after the government reopens.
U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, highlighted how unless Republicans gain enough Democratic votes by Oct. 15, roughly 1.3 million active members of the military will not see their next paycheck.
“We may have a majority, but you’ve got 53, and it takes 60 votes to be able to get anything passed. So we need at least seven Democrats,” Van Duyne told The Center Square. “Three of them have already stepped up and have voted for this continuing resolution. But we need seven of them to come to the table.”
The longer a shutdown drags on, the more that federal services and the economy are negatively impacted. About $15 billion in Gross Domestic Product is lost per week during a government shutdown, as The Center Square reported.
