The Senate failed to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government open, putting the country on a path to a government shutdown that will begin at midnight. The measure fell short of the 60 votes needed for passage by a 55-to-45 vote, with 43 Senate Democrats opposing the legislation. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., also voted against the bill. Fifty-two Republicans voted to fund the government.
They were joined by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., as well as Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who caucuses with the Democrats.
“Democrats shut down the government, demanding taxpayer-funded health care for illegals, extension of fraud-riddled, COVID-era Obamacare subsidies, and turning back the clock on President [Donald] Trump’s victories for the American people. Their demands are completely unreasonable, rejected by Americans at the ballot box, and they will not win,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, told The Daily Signal.
The bill, known as the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026, would have kept the government open until Nov. 21. The legislation had passed the Republican-controlled House of Representatives by a vote of 217-to-212. It would have kept government spending at the current levels, plus added funding for security for federal officials in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said to The Daily Signal that “House and Senate Republicans voted for a simple, clean, bipartisan bill that funds the government.”
“Unfortunately, Senate Democrats voted no and are instead demanding more than $1 trillion in unrelated, left-wing spending—including health care for illegal aliens and climate change programs overseas. For the sake of the country, I encourage Senate Democrats to put aside their hatred of the President and fund the government,” Cotton continued.
The government will now enter a period of shutdown where nonessential federal workers will be furloughed, federal buildings such as the Smithsonian Institution museums and the National Zoo will close to the public, and potentially thousands of government employees will no longer be receiving compensation. Federal workers will receive back pay when the shutdown ends, a figure estimated to be about $400 million per day of the shutdown.
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., noted that the shutdown would hurt Americans in a comment to The Daily Signal.
“Tonight, [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats showed their true colors when they blatantly ignored the best interests of the American people and voted to shut down the federal government. Shutdowns do nothing but hurt our country—our brave servicemembers will not get paid and millions of Montanans will lose access to services they depend on. This shutdown is nothing but an attempt by Senate Democrats to score political points from their radical base, but the American people see right through it. I’ll keep fighting to re-open the government, so we can get back to work delivering wins for Montana and the nation,” Daines explained.
In the weeks leading up to the shutdown, congressional Republicans blamed their Democrat colleagues of playing political games and acquiescing to the demands of their left-wing base.
“Democrats are voting to shut down the government, and it’s nothing but a giant political stunt. They had no problems passing clean CRs when Biden was President. Many of them voted for this same CR just a few months ago. What changed is they now have a radical leftist base demanding they do anything to obstruct President Trump’s success—even if it means our troops going without pay,” Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., wrote on X.
“This shouldn’t be a food fight. Senate Republicans put forward a clean bill to keep the government open: a bill similar to what Democrats have voted for 13 times in the past. Democrats now have a choice: work with us, or explain the fallout to working Americans. In West Virginia, we have always done what’s right: we mind the store, put our people first, and use common sense to make decisions. Democrats ought to wake up and work with us, because a closed government this doesn’t benefit anybody,” Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., told The Daily Signal.
“This is something that has been done routinely—as I said, 13 different times—when the Democrats had the majority. But we are not going to be held hostage for over $1 trillion in new spending on a continuing resolution. Nor are we going to be held hostage to allow illegals to get free health care in a continuing resolution,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters on Tuesday at a press conference.
