Senate leaves Washington as government shutdown nears 3rd week, military pay at risk
The Senate is expected to leave town Friday until early next week, as neither party is ready to back down from the current government shutdown impasse.
Lawmakers voted late Thursday night on the National Defense Authorization Act of 2026, which advanced on a largely bipartisan vote. But the $925 billion plan, which authorizes funding for the Pentagon, was effectively the last hurray of the week in the Upper House.
Although there were discussions about bringing the House Republican Party’s continuing resolution (CR), along with the congressional Democrats’ counterproposal, to the floor for a final vote, the plan never came to fruition. Both would likely have failed for an eighth consecutive time.
SENATE DEMOCRATS AGAIN BLOCK GOP PLAN TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT AS MILITARY PAY DEADLINE LEADS
Senate Republicans and Democrats will instead return Tuesday next week, after observing Columbus Day, to continue the ongoing back-and-forth on the GOP CR after a week of attempts and failures to pass the bill and reopen the government.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., plans to continue introducing Republicans’ bill in an effort to fragment Senate Democrats. So far, only three members of the Democratic caucus have systematically split from their largely unified party.
Talks have continued behind closed doors, but nothing has yet materialized into full-fledged negotiations over the expiration of Obamacare, officially known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), tax credits intended to find a way out as the government shutdown enters a third week.
“The ACA issue is important to many of us, not just Democrats,” said Sen. Susan Collins, Republican of Maine. “Tax subsidies have been strengthened during COVID. They need to be reformed, but they also need to be expanded.”
Senate advances 2026 defense bill after weeks of delay as shutdown extends
Senator Markwayne Mullin, Republican of Oklahoma, is one of the few Republicans who meets regularly with Democrats. He said he wouldn’t meet with lawmakers “so locked in that they can’t leave their position,” but no movement from the other side has occurred.
Mullin and other Republicans want to pass their CR in the short term through Nov. 21, while Senate Democrats are adamant that unless an agreement is reached on ACA subsidies, they will not provide the Republican Party with the votes to reopen the government.
“Well, if this continues, like it has, the longer we go, the harder it is,” Mullin said. “It’s a huge task. Anything to do with the ACA or health care has a lot of moving parts. I think the more it gets very difficult. [goes on]. You arrive next week. I mean, we’ve got four and a half weeks left, right, and so that time frame just keeps getting shorter and shorter.”
Their return next week also ensures that service members will not receive their paychecks on time, given that the lockout and payroll processing date falls on Monday.
“Certainly, if people miss a paycheck, the intensity will increase,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V.
The continuing impasse has most Senate Republicans unwilling to consider turning to the “nuclear option,” a move they made last month when they unilaterally changed the Senate’s rules for confirming nominees to break the blockade by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus against President Donald’s nominees Trump, to change the filibuster.
SENATE GOP RESISTS ‘NUCLEAR OPTION’ AS DEM Shutdown Deadlock Deepens
“There’s always a lot of swirling, as you know, from social media and so on, but no, we’re not having that conversation,” Thune said.
But not all Republicans want to ignore eliminating the 60-vote filibuster, as day after day the Republican Party’s plan to reopen government falls five votes short.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, said if the shutdown continues, it’s an option that should be considered.
“Look, 50 to 60 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck,” he said. “We’re going to fire that message next week. Now, if there’s another paycheck, that’s probably 80% of Americans who can’t go without two paychecks in a row. I think at this point we need to look at it and say ‘Democrats are pulling political stunts again.'”
Republicans also found a new point of attack against Democrats. Schumer told Punchbowl News in an interview that “every day gets better for us,” in his assessment of Senate Democrats’ political momentum as the shutdown continues.
“Who is “us?” “It’s not better for the American people,” said Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo. “Who does he mean ‘we’? Not the military that doesn’t get paid. Not the Border Patrol that doesn’t get paid. Not the air traffic controllers that don’t get paid. Who is ‘us’? He’s playing a game!”
But Senate Democrats are largely ignoring the issue. Sen. Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii, said it was the latest attempt by Republicans to “change the subject of a 114 percent premium increase,” something Democrats say could happen if the Obamacare tax credits are not extended.
“They’re kind of desperate to change the news cycle, and this is their last attempt,” Schatz said.
