U.S. Government Shutdown Continues: Senate Rejects Temporary Funding Bill for the Sixth Time

Author: Li Dan, Wall Street Journal

The U.S. federal government has been shut down for over a week now, and it seems that there is no way to break the deadlock between the two parties to restore government operations in the short term.

On Wednesday, October 8, Eastern Time, the government shutdown entered its eighth day. In the recent sixth round of voting, the U.S. Senate once again rejected a proposal to provide temporary funding for the government. The voting results highlighted the ongoing divisions between the two parties: Republican lawmakers collectively opposed the Democratic proposal, while the majority of Democrats boycotted the proposal put forward by the Republicans, which had already passed in the House of Representatives.

The positions of the two parties are becoming increasingly hardline, with the core disagreement being whether to continue the health insurance subsidies provided by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enacted during the Obama administration. Senate Republican leader John Thune accused the Democrats of being beholden to leftist interest groups, while Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson the "real obstacle."

The government shutdown has begun to have a substantial impact on the operations of federal agencies. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced on Wednesday that nearly half of its employees will be on leave. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is currently operating normally but is under pressure. Due to staff shortages at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), air traffic control at Nashville Airport has been partially shut down.

Bipartisan bill fails to advance in the Senate for the sixth time, with clear barriers in the voting results.

The Senate voted again on Wednesday on the government funding proposals put forward by both parties, and the result was the same as the previous five times.

The Republican proposal will provide funding for the government to operate until November 21 and increase security funding for lawmakers and government officials by $88 million, but it does not include the healthcare provisions requested by the Democrats. The proposal received 54 votes in favor and 45 votes against, still falling short by 6 votes of the 60 votes required to advance the proposal.

Among the Republican members, only one, Rand Paul, voted against it this Wednesday. With Paul's opposition, the proposal needs the support of a total of 8 Democratic members to pass. However, in this vote, only 3 members from the Democratic camp defected.

The Democratic Party's proposal suggests extending government operating funds until October 31, while also including the extension of healthcare subsidies established during the Obama administration that are set to expire at the end of this year, as well as the repeal of the Trump administration's cuts to Medicaid.

In Wednesday's vote, the proposal performed worse than the Republican plan, receiving only 47 votes in support, which is lower than the 52 votes against it. Like the previous five votes, the proposal did not win the support of any Republican senators.

Senate Republican leader Thune plans to hold the seventh round of voting as early as Thursday, but the results are not expected to change. When asked if he anticipated a different outcome, South Dakota Republican Senator Mike Rounds replied, "You need to ask our Democratic colleagues."

The Democratic Party accuses the Republican Party of controlling the government while allowing it to shut down; the Republican Party insists on opening the door first before negotiations.

The two parties' legislators are at odds over the responsibility for the government shutdown and the path to resolution, with positions becoming increasingly hardline.

Senate Democratic Leader Schumer took aim at House Speaker Johnson, calling it a "real obstacle" to resolving the crisis. "Johnson — if Johnson has to say, 'We need to solve health care,' you know, he's under some pressure," Schumer said. He also dodged questions about the Democrats' own subsidy expiration dates in 2020.

Former House Speaker and Democrat Nancy Pelosi criticized the Republicans for shutting down the government and then demanding concessions from the Democrats. She said: "The government was open, and then the Republicans shut it down because they didn't want to extend the healthcare subsidies."

Democratic Senator blames the shutdown on the Republican control of the three branches of government. Arizona Senator Mark Kelly emphasized, "This shutdown is because of the Republicans in the House, the Senate, and the White House, who control the three branches of government - this concerns the healthcare costs for the people."

Republicans insist on restarting the government before negotiating.

Louisiana Senator John Kennedy stated: "We will not compromise on the need to reopen the government, and then we will have an adult conversation." South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds reiterated the party's position: "We will not negotiate under the circumstances of a government being held hostage. There is no reason to do so, and we cannot encourage this behavior."

The House of Representatives continues to recess, provoking criticism within the party, as the Speaker insists on waiting for Senate action.

The House has been in recess since last month after passing the government funding bill proposed by the Republicans, with different reactions from both parties.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized Republican lawmakers for "vacationing" during the government shutdown. "House Democrats were here last week, are here this week, and will be here next week," Jeffries said at a press conference on Capitol Hill, "while House Republicans are on vacation, which is quite unusual."

Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern mocked Republicans for attempting to impose stricter work requirements on programs like food stamps. He said: "Let’s set a work requirement for Republicans to show up in Congress and do their damn jobs."

Different voices have emerged within the Republican Party. California Republican Congressman Kevin Kiley questioned Speaker Johnson's strategy of adjourning the House for a third consecutive week. "The Speaker shouldn't even consider canceling meetings for a third consecutive week," Kiley wrote on social media.

Johnson insists that the House has done its job and will not recall members until the Senate passes the Republican short-term funding bill already approved by the House. "We have completed our work," Johnson said on Tuesday.

Federal agency operations hit: IRS employees take mass furloughs, putting the transportation sector under pressure

The government shutdown has entered its second week, and the impact on federal agency operations is beginning to emerge.

The IRS announced on Wednesday the implementation of a large-scale furlough plan, with approximately 34,000 employees being forced to take unpaid leave, nearly half of the agency's total workforce of 74,299 employees. This marks a significant change in the IRS's arrangements compared to the first week of the shutdown, when the agency used remaining funds from the Biden administration to keep all employees on paid work.

The remaining 39,870 employees of the IRS will continue to prepare for next year's tax season, advance the modernization of the agency, and implement Trump's new tax law. During the government shutdown, the IRS will limit taxpayer services, including phone consultations. The independent taxpayer advocacy service agency also announced its closure due to depleted funds.

Doreen Greenwald, the president of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), which represents over 100,000 employees across 38 U.S. government departments and offices, stated in a statement: "Taxpayers across the nation will now find it more difficult to get the help they need as they prepare to submit their deferred tax returns due next week."

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), responsible for the operation of security checkpoints at U.S. airports, claimed on Wednesday that it is operating normally. The agency stated, "TSA has not experienced operational delays due to (employee) sick leave and is fully capable of providing safe and reliable travel services for passengers."

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is under even more pressure. According to a notice issued by the FAA to pilots, the approach control at Nashville International Airport, the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee, has ceased operations due to a shortage of manpower. As a result, the airport closed some air traffic control operations and airspace control was transferred to facilities in Memphis.

The audio recordings that emerged on Wednesday revealed the frustration of air traffic control personnel: "We have always been understaffed, but this situation is very rare. We have four controllers in our building, and at a level 10 airport in the national airspace system, we can only conduct visual flight rules tower operations, which is absolutely insane."