Democrats block government funding bill for 12th time after marathon floor protest
Senate Democrats voted Wednesday for a 12th time to block a House-passed bill to reopen the government and keep it funded through Nov. 21.
Democrats blocked the funding measure — a clean continuing resolution that would prolong Biden-era funding levels — after liberal Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) spoke on the Senate floor for nearly 23 hours to protest President Trump’s first nine months in office.
Democratic colleagues applauded Merkley’s show of defiance before the vote on the Republican-drafted funding bill.
The bill failed to advance by a vote of 54-46. It needed 60 votes to move forward.
Only three members of the Democratic caucus voted to reopen the government: Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), John Fetterman (Pa.) and Sen. Angus King (Maine), an independent who caucuses with the Democrats.
Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) was the lone Republican to oppose the measure.
Democrats who blocked the House-passed bill say they won’t fund the government until Trump and Republican leaders in Congress negotiate over the expiration of enhanced health insurance subsidies, GOP-enacted cuts to Medicaid and the administration’s moves to claw back previously approved funding.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) have repeatedly rebuffed Democrats’ demands to negotiate health care spending levels while federal departments and agencies remain shuttered.
The repeated failure of the House-passed funding bill to move in the Senate has House Republicans discussing the possibility of passing a funding stopgap that would last until December 2026.
Even if Democrats suddenly reverse course and vote for the pending House funding measure, it would only keep the government funded until the Friday before Thanksgiving.
House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) told Bloomberg TV Wednesday that the House could pass a new continuing resolution lasting until Dec. 1, 2026.
Thune told reporters Tuesday that the likelihood of passing the regular annual appropriations bills in 2025 is shrinking by the day as the shutdown drags on.
“I think the longer these guys drag this out, the harder it becomes to see a path [to] do it the old fashioned way,” he said.
He said that passing the regular appropriations bills under regular order is “clearly the preferred method and outcome.”
Emily Brooks contributed.