Senate Democrats blocked the clean GOP House-passed short-term funding bill on Thursday for the 10th time since the federal government shut down nearly two weeks ago.
Senate Democrats have ensured that the shutdown will continue into next week because legislators will leave Washington, D.C., for another extended weekend after a final series of votes on Thursday, following only three short days in session.
Neither Republicans nor Democrats are willing to compromise on their firmly established viewpoints, and discussions between the two parties, although primarily informal, have started to diminish.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is resolute in his intention to persistently present the House-passed continuing resolution (CR), which would reopen the government until November 21, for repeated votes.
Although several members of the GOP are contemplating a revised expiration date for the continuing resolution, this would necessitate the House, which has been in recess for nearly a month, to reconvene and enact a new resolution.
Despite Thune and the Republicans’ insistence that their strategy is the sole solution to the ongoing shutdown, now in its 16th day, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the Senate Democratic caucus are still seeking to negotiate a resolution regarding the expiration of Obamacare subsidies, urging President Donald Trump to engage directly in the discussions.