US government shutdown drags into third week Senate again blocks GOP funding bill

The United States Congress remained at an impasse on October 14 over legislation to reopen the federal government, after the Senate once again rejected a Republican proposal aimed at ending the two-week-long shutdown.

The vote marked the eighth unsuccessful attempt to advance a Republican funding bill that would keep government operations running through November 21, as per foreign media reports.

The measure failed by a 49–45 vote, falling well short of the 60 votes required for passage. In a sign of deepening gridlock, no senator changed their vote from the previous round, though several were absent.

The continued stalemate comes as the Trump administration last week began laying off federal employees across multiple agencies. Both parties have since continued to exchange blame for the ongoing closure of government services.

Speaking on the Senate floor, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer condemned the administration’s recent approval of a large financial bailout for Argentina amid the shutdown, which has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed.

“If this administration has $20 billion to spare for a MAGA-friendly foreign government, they cannot turn around and say we don’t have the money to lower healthcare costs here at home,” Schumer said, describing the move as “a slap in the face” to American families.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, meanwhile, accused Democrats of “taking government funding hostage” over their demands to extend subsidies for people insured under the Affordable Care Act. He warned that allowing those tax credits to expire would cause health insurance premiums to rise sharply for millions of Americans.

“Democrats were against shutdowns when it suited their political purposes, and now that it suits their political purposes—they think—to keep the government closed, now they support shutdowns,” Thune argued. “I suspect their political calculations are flawed.”

Earlier in the day, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that he would not enter negotiations with Senate Democrats as the shutdown entered its 14th day. He defended the Trump administration’s move to reallocate Pentagon funds to ensure military personnel receive their paychecks on time.

“I don’t have anything to negotiate,” Johnson told reporters, accusing Democrats of “playing games.”

Johnson dismissed concerns from Democrats regarding the legality of using unspent research and development funds to pay service members, with the first payments scheduled for Wednesday.

“If the Democrats want to go to court and challenge troops being paid, bring it,” Johnson said. “I’m grateful for a commander in chief who understands the priorities of the country.”

The decision followed President Donald Trump’s directive to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over the weekend to identify funds for military salaries. On TruthSocial, Trump declared that he would not allow Democrats “to hold our military, and the entire security of our nation, HOSTAGE” amid the shutdown.

The Pentagon and the Office of Management and Budget later confirmed that troops would receive their scheduled October 15 paychecks using the reallocated funds, removing the immediate need for a separate congressional bill to cover military pay.

By Tamilla Hasanova