WASHINGTON — The federal government officially entered a shutdown today after the U.S. Senate failed to approve a Republican measure to fund the government for seven weeks while lawmakers negotiate full-year spending bills.
The stopgap funding bill did not reach the 60-vote threshold in the Senate Tuesday night. Two Democratic senators and one independent joined Republicans to approve the continuing resolution that would keep spending levels flat until Nov. 21. Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY, voted against it.
Republicans also defeated a Democratic measure that would fund the government for four weeks and permanently extend the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits.
Alabama Republican Sen. Katie Britt put the blame for the shutdown squarely on Democrats and specifically Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for pushing to attach their health care priorities to a short-term funding bill.
“This whole thing is about government funding, and yet (Democrats) have now injected all this list of demands that have nothing to do with actually funding the government,” Britt told Alabama Daily News after giving a floor speech on the impending shutdown Tuesday afternoon.
Schumer remains steadfast that the extension of ACA subsidies has to happen now because Americans will start to get notices of higher premiums starting this month, as open enrollment in the marketplace begins Nov. 1.
“It’s right now in the Republicans’ court,” Schumer told reporters. “The American people are learning about how bad this healthcare crisis is and they will put tremendous heat on Republicans to solve it.”
After the Senate vote, Majority Leader John Thune said he plans to hold another vote today on the short-term funding bill in hopes of gaining more Democratic support. Only one Democrat supported the measure when the Senate first voted on it Sept. 19, with two more joining Tuesday.
“Tonight was evidence that there’s some movement there and we’ll allow our Democratic colleagues to have additional opportunities to vote on whether or not…to open it back up,” Thune told reporters.
Britt noted she is not typically supportive of continuing resolutions, as she prefers full-year spending bills. However, she said this time is different because the Senate has already passed three appropriations bills this year, and the Appropriations Committee has approved others, showing the chamber’s commitment to passing the 12 spending bills this year.
“Where I have issue with a CR is where there’s no plan or resolution, where you haven’t been working on bills, or there’s no plan or commitment to work on bills in the future because the whole point is to fund the government,” Britt told ADN. “And so that’s the leverage point. Not like all this wish list (for) Christmas.”
On Tuesday, House Democrats flooded the Capitol steps to paint a contrasting picture with Republicans who are back in their districts, after Speaker Mike Johnson canceled votes for the week. House members are not expected to return to Washington until next week.
Led by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Reps. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, and Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, joined their caucus to stand up for including healthcare priorities in a funding deal.
Credit: Alabama Daily News
“We’re here to work,” Figures told Alabama Daily News Tuesday morning. “(Republicans are) not here, and our hope is that they will change their minds and get back here and let’s fund the government and keep it open.”
Standing outside the Capitol, Figures said the expiring ACA tax credits are an issue that must be resolved.
“Alabama has some of the worst health care outcomes and worst health care access in the entire country,” he told ADN. “And so we have to fix that. We have to prioritize that.”
Alabama House Republicans have been vocal on social media, coming out against the shutdown and pushing the narrative that Democrats are responsible.
“House Republicans passed a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open for the American people, but Democrats would rather hold our government hostage to try and enact their partisan priorities,” Rep. Dale Strong, R-Huntsville, said in an X post.
Republicans insist that the federal government should not be held “hostage” over the health care subsidies. Britt said she’s open to discussing the expiration of the credits later this year.
“That’s absolutely a conversation that’s going to be had about, where are we on that (and) what reforms are necessary,” she said.
But no matter the political posturing of who lawmakers believe is responsible for the shutdown, it still has tangible impacts on Alabamians’ and Americans’ lives, especially for those who work for the federal government and those who receive benefits. Federal employees will not be paid during the shutdown.
About 750,000 federal workers will be furloughed each day of a government shutdown, the Congressional Budget Office estimates. The White House has also threatened to invoke mass firings while the government is closed. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., lent his support Tuesday to cutting federal employees and shrinking the federal government during the shutdown.
“If they want to shut it down now, they give Russ (Vought) an opportunity to start combining agencies,” Tuberville told Steve Bannon on his War Room podcast. “Let’s do all kind of things where we can cut back on this bloated government. The American taxpayers can’t afford this nonsense.”
All federal employees, including active duty servicemembers, will receive back pay once the shutdown ends. Alabama has roughly 41,000 civilian federal workers. Members of Congress are required by law to receive pay during a shutdown.
Federal safety net programs, including Social Security, veterans’ benefits, Medicare and Medicaid, will continue to be distributed, though delays could occur.
Follow Us