Efforts to resolve the ongoing government shutdown stalled again on Wednesday, with the Senate rejecting both Democratic and Republican proposals to restore funding. Both parties remain firm in their demands, extending the deadlock that began eight days ago, the Guardian reports. The vote on a stopgap funding bill already approved by the House was 54-45, with no new Democrats in favor, CBS News reports. In the sixth vote on the rival spending bills, the Democrats' measure also failed to get the necessary 60 votes. Senate Majority Leader John Thune plans to hold a seventh vote on Thursday.
The shutdown has resulted in closed federal offices, shuttered national parks, and thousands of furloughed workers. Remaining federal employees, including military personnel, could soon miss paychecks if the impasse continues. Democrats insist any funding deal must include health care measures, particularly an extension of Affordable Care Act premium tax credits set to expire at the year's end. Without renewal, roughly 20 million enrollees face higher costs. Republicans favor a short-term funding approach through Nov. 21 with no guarantee of health care provisions.
The situation has led to pointed remarks on both sides. House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed Democrats are "worried about the Marxist flank" in their party and said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is "terrified" of a challenge from the far left, the Guardian reports. Schumer, in turn, argued Republicans are to blame for refusing to negotiate on health care, maintaining that both reopening the government and addressing health costs should happen together. "We can do both: fix health care and reopen the government. This is not an either-or thing, which Republicans are making it," he said. "The American people don't like it."
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Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans' legislation to extend the tax credits for a year has emerged as a possible middle ground with bipartisan support, but top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries dismissed it Tuesday, calling it a "nonstarter" that was "introduced by the same people who just permanently extended massive tax breaks for their billionaire donors." The House has been out of session since last month, and Johnson says he won't call the chamber back until the GOP's funding measure has been passed, Politico reports.