Senate Dems block bid to end government shutdown as agencies set to lay off 750K employees daily

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, Senate Democrats voted against ending the government shutdown, once again blocking a temporary funding bill passed by the House for the second time within 24 hours — as federal agencies brace for potential layoffs affecting up to 750,000 workers daily.

The Senate’s vote concluded with a 55-45 margin to end the debate on continuing funding, falling short by five votes of the required 60 to overcome the legislative filibuster, with Democrats Catherine Cortez Masto from Nevada, John Fetterman from Pennsylvania, and independent Angus King from Maine casting “yes” votes.

Nearly all Republicans, with the exception of Sen. Rand Paul from Kentucky, supported the bill.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and other Democrats expressed concerns about the “clean” continuing resolution, citing its lack of provisions for extending Affordable Care Act subsidies that are due to end later this year.

Republican leaders have argued that these subsidies should be addressed separately, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-La.) urging Democrats to support their proposal for government funding at current levels until November 21.

Prior to the key vote, Johnson highlighted that nearly half of the federal workforce is being “sent home” due to the shutdown.

“Our troops and Border Patrol personnel will have to show up but they’ll be doing so without pay. Services such as food assistance, veterans’ benefits, and essential support for women and children will come to a standstill,” the speaker noted.

Johnson continued, “Our bipartisan 24-page continuing resolution, which Schumer and Democrats backed just a few months ago in March, has now been rejected. They insisted on adding over $1.5 trillion in fresh federal spending funded by hardworking American taxpayers, simply to maintain current Biden administration spending levels.”

According to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, as many as 750,000 federal workers are anticipated to face furloughs each day, with the potential for these furloughs to transition into permanent layoffs.

“We are not targeting federal agencies based on political factors,” Vice President JD Vance stated at a Wednesday White House press briefing. “Our focus is on the government that serves the people, ensuring essential services continue to operate whenever feasible.”

Last week, White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought instructed agencies to prepare Reduction in Force (RIF) plans for any non-essential programs during a shutdown.

“Once the appropriations for fiscal year 2026 are passed, agencies should modify their RIFs accordingly to keep the minimum number of employees needed for statutory functions,” Vought noted in a memo.

During a call with House Republicans, Vought indicated that RIF plans would begin to be implemented within the next 48 hours, according to a source familiar with the conversation.

“This government shutdown is a result of aggressive political maneuvering aimed at satisfying the leftist factions pushing for Democrats to appear resolute against President Trump,” Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) said in a statement on Wednesday.

Golden, the only House Democrat to back the funding bill, added, “The shutdown adversely impacts American citizens and the economy, and ironically, it consolidates more power within the presidency.”

“There is still the opportunity and time for negotiation. However, normal policy disagreements should not subject our constituents to further damage from this shutdown,” he emphasized.

At the White House, Vance suggested that Schumer’s opposition to the stopgap measure may be rooted in fears of facing a primary challenge in 2028 from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY).

“It’s hard to predict how congressional Democrats will proceed,” Vance stated, “but I genuinely believe this shutdown won’t last long.”

The White House also shared the text of the Democrats’ alternative funding proposal on social media, highlighting its intention to reverse a prohibition on providing healthcare for undocumented immigrants established in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Vance argued, “What the Democrats are trying to pull off is a trick. They claim that recipients of health care benefits are not illegal immigrants, even though it’s a known fact they are in this country unlawfully.”

In the lead-up to the funding vote, President Trump had sarcastically critiqued Schumer through an AI-generated video, portraying Schumer advocating for “free healthcare for illegal aliens” as part of efforts to gain “new voters” for the Democratic Party.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was depicted wearing a sombrero with a traditional Mexican song in the background during this entertaining 35-second video shared on Monday evening.

Vance remarked on Wednesday, “The president’s humor is a sign that negotiations can happen while also highlighting the absurdities of the Democrats’ positions.”

He added, “I can assure Hakeem Jeffries that if you assist in reopening the government, the sombrero memes will cease.”

Jeffries went on to clarify his comments afterwards, emphasizing, “The president has been acting irresponsibly and unseriously, confirming that Republicans aimed for this government shutdown all along.”

The White House and several conservative accounts on social media have been circulating historical videos of Democrats candidly discussing the likelihood of undocumented immigrants obtaining federal benefits through fraudulent means decades in the past.

In a 1996 House floor speech, then-Rep. Schumer had noted, “When they come here, they can secure jobs and benefits unlawfully due to fraud.”

On the Senate floor Wednesday, Schumer countered, “They claim they are fighting to block illegal immigrants from accessing federal health care dollars, which is a blatant lie.”

The New York senator further asserted: “Not one dollar of Medicare, Medicaid, or [ObamaCare] is permitted to be allocated to undocumented immigrants.”

A recent New York Times/Siena College poll from late September showed that nearly half of Democrats (43%) and 65% of all registered voters are against a government shutdown, with many respondents still attributing the blame to Trump and the Republicans in the ongoing funding dispute.