The Senate on Thursday failed to proceed with legislation to pay troops and Department of Defense civilians who continue to work without pay during the government shutdown as Democrats and Republicans remained in a standoff over federal funding. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday failed to proceed with legislation to keep paychecks flowing to troops and pay Department of Defense civilians working without compensation during the government shutdown as Democrats and Republicans remained in a standoff over federal funding.
The measure would have compensated “excepted” government employees for the duration of the shutdown, but Democrats opposed it in a 54-45 vote that failed to reach a 60-vote threshold, arguing the bill would give President Donald Trump wide latitude to pick and choose who to pay based on his political agenda.
Three Democrats supported the Republican plan: Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of Georgia.
Most Democrats have instead rallied behind an alternative bill that would pay all workers as the shutdown drags on, including those who have been furloughed, as well as prevent the administration’s efforts to fire workers while the government is shut down. An attempt Thursday to pass the proposal with a unanimous voice vote was blocked by Republicans.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., described the Republican legislation that Democrats blocked from advancing Thursday as a “ruse” that would allow Trump to “hurt federal workers and American families and to keep the shutdown going for as long as he wants.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., meanwhile accused Democrats of rejecting “every opportunity they’ve been given to put the American people ahead of their far-left base,” including by preventing the advancement last week of a defense spending bill that would have appropriated troop pay for the 2026 fiscal year, which began on Oct. 1.
Most Democrats are continuing to vote down a stopgap measure that would fund the government through Nov. 21 and are insisting any legislation to open the government include the extension of health care subsidies set to expire at the end of the year.
The shutdown stretched into a 23rd day as senators remained in an impasse and the House stayed out of session for a fifth week. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had said he would bring the chamber back if the Senate passed the Republican bill to pay federal employees.
Troops have so far avoided working without compensation after the Trump administration tapped into Pentagon funds allocated for other purposes to issue paychecks on Oct. 15. Trump has directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use “any funds appropriated by the Congress that remain available” to pay the military for the remainder of the shutdown, a move that has drawn legal scrutiny.
In past shutdowns, lawmakers have worked on a bipartisan basis to ensure service members were spared from the financial effects of a lapse in federal funding. Congress passed a bill shortly before the start of a shutdown in 2013 to authorize paychecks for troops and some Defense Department workers and contractors.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who introduced the legislation shot down Thursday, said he was willing to make adjustments to his measure to earn Democratic votes. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the lead sponsor of the Democrats’ alternative proposal, said any compromise bill must curb the White House’s ability to slash the federal workforce.
