The U.S. Senate voted on the continuing resolution to fund the federal government that the House passed earlier on Friday, and it failed to pass by a 44-48 tally, hurtling the process toward a potential shutdown in less than two weeks. It would have been entirely along party lines, except Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) voted in support of the funding bill.
The House measure was also a close vote, although it passed, 217-212.
Here’s more on the Senate vote:
Two Republicans voted against the House-passed continuing resolution: Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), an outspoken fiscal hawk who argued it would prolong Biden-era spending levels, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), a centrist who has voiced grave concerns about the Medicaid cuts Trump signed into law earlier this year.
Democrats blocked the resolution, which would fund government until Nov. 21, after Republicans defeated an alternative Democratic proposal to fund government until Oct. 31, extend health insurance subsidies and restore nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid funding cuts.
Here are some provisions of the Democrat stop-gap bill that also failed to pass:
The alternative Democratic government funding stopgap would have permanently extended the enhanced health insurance premium subsidies at a cost of $349.8 billion over 10 years.
Leaders of both the GOP House and Senate appear to be holding the line so far. In the upper chamber, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) “reiterated that he has no interest in meeting with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) to negotiate a compromise measure to keep the government open.”
He remarked:
I made it very clear that I wanted the Senate to return to regular order consideration of appropriations bills. I was not and am not interested in funding government through last-minute backroom deals.
Meanwhile, House Republican leaders sent a notice to members, stating that votes previously scheduled for Sept. 29-30 have been canceled, and “not to return to Washington until after the funding deadline expires.”
“If Senate Democrats insist on a Schumer Shutdown of the federal government,” the notice read, “Members should be prepared to return to DC.”
The sticky situation for Dems comes on the heels of Thune managing to shepherd a tranche of President Trump’s nominees to confirmation on Thursday evening.
Read: Breaking. Thune Uses Nuclear Option to Confirm 48 Trump Nominees in a Single Vote
During a press gaggle in the Oval Office after the Senate vote on Thurs., President Trump laid out his theory on why the Senate Democrats voted against the CR, and seem to be intent on blocking it through the Oct. 1 deadline to trigger a shutdown.
.@POTUS: “As you know, we passed the Continuing Resolution in the Republican House today. It was an amazing vote, actually. It showed we want to keep things going, and going properly… But in the Senate… [Democrats] want to shut down the country.” pic.twitter.com/REC1z3ANAj
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 19, 2025
He also shared his thoughts about it in a post later on Truth Social:
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 19, 2025
“We passed the Continuing Resolution in the Republican House today, which was a very good thing because it shows that Republicans want to keep the Government open but, in the Senate, we have 53 Republicans, and we need 60 Votes,” the president wrote. “I want to thank Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat, for voting for us…”
“[B]ut the Democrats want to shut the Country down,” Trump added. “They want to open the Borders, they want us to stop fighting Crime (and, by the way, D.C. is finally SAFE!), they want men to play in women’s sports, they want “TRANSGENDER” for everybody and, if they don’t get them, they are not going to open the Government.
“Just today the House Democrats voted against condemning the political assassination of Charlie Kirk,” he continued. “Republicans won the Popular Vote, won all seven Swing States, won the Electoral College by a landslide, won most U.S. Counties in a landslide (2,600 to 525). Democrats must start respecting our Democracy, and the Will of the Voters!”
Trump isn’t wrong that Dems in the House and Senate (besides the semi-rational Fetterman) have wagered that obstructing his America First agenda is in their political self-interest. Whether they are right or wrong is something we’ll find out in due course.
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