Democrats tank GOP bill to pay troops, essential workers during govt. shutdown
By Thérèse Boudreaux
The Center Square
Republicans’ attempts to avert the worst effects of the ongoing government shutdown failed Thursday after Senate Democrats blocked a bill that would ensure essential federal employees are paid on time.
Federal employees considered “essential”, such as air traffic controllers and federal law enforcement, must report to work without pay. The rest are furloughed without pay until the shutdown ends, at which point both groups receive backpay.
The Shutdown Fairness Act, introduced by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., would have required that essential employees – including active-duty military members and certain federal contractors – receive pay as normal during a federal appropriations lapse.
Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa.; Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., were the only Democrats to support advancing the bill in the 55-45 vote.
With senators now leaving for the weekend, the government shutdown will last at least 26 days, approaching the 35-day record.
The government has remained shuttered since Oct. 1, when Democratic senators refused to provide the necessary votes to pass Republicans’ Continuing Resolution, which would extend federal funding levels until Nov. 21.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said his party will lend support only if Republicans promise to renew the pandemic-era expansion of the Obamacare Premium Tax Credit, set to expire Dec. 31.
Republicans refused to make such guarantees without bipartisan talks and accused Democrats of turning the normally bipartisan government funding process into a “political game.”
Negotiations have essentially died as both sides unsuccessfully wait each other out. Senate Democrats filibustered Republicans’ Continuing Resolution for the 12th time Wednesday evening.
In the meantime, the U.S. economy has lost hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue, governors are warning low-income citizens that they may not receive food assistance in November, and millions of federal employees remain unpaid. The Pentagon has already dipped into untapped research and development money in order to fund service members’ Oct. 15 paychecks.
“We’ve heard Democrats criticize @SenRonJohnson’s bill because it would provide pay only to those working through the shutdown. They say they want everyone to get paid,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., posted on X. “Well, I have great news: the clean CR would pay everyone. We just need five more Democrats to support it.”
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Lucy, Charlie Brown...
...and the football. The only CR that Republicans will allow is the Trump approved one. Democrats submitted a different one, but in a totally non partisan move, Speaker Johnson refused to allow it out of committee to be voted on. I guess he's afraid with all the defections in his party it would pass. Same thing with the Pay Our Troops bill that Democrats submitted 2 weeks before the shutdown.
In a special election in Florida two Republican representatives won on April 1st. Mike Johnson swore both in the next day, in front of an empty chamber because the House was not in session.
In a special election in Arizona a Democrat won on September 23rd, a week before the shutdown. Its more than a month later and in yet another totally non partisan move, Mike Johnson claims he can't swear her in until the Senate passes the CR.
Tell me again how Democrats are supposed to trust Republicans to negotiate health care.
In a totally unrelated matter, the woman they are refusing to swear in will be the final signature needed to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files. That bill has only been waiting in committee since July 14th.
••••Publisher's note: Not so fast, Sparky Schulz. This CR is the same short-term funding extension that virtually all Democrats voted to pass 13 times during the Biden Administration. Senate Democrats are not objecting to what’s in the CR, they’re objecting to what is not in it. Democrats – excluding Sen. John Fetterman a couple of others – own the current shutdown – lock, stock and barrel. Read the CR at https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5371/text