US government shutdown drags on as Senate rejects rival funding bills again

The United States government remains partially shut down after the Senate once more failed to approve measures to restore federal funding.

The October 6 votes marked the fifth unsuccessful attempt to end the impasse, as competing Democrat and Republican proposals each fell short of the 60 votes required to advance, according to foreign media reports.

Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump had warned that another failure would trigger mass layoffs across federal agencies. Thousands of government workers have already been furloughed or ordered to continue working without pay since funding expired five days ago.

Despite his earlier threats, Trump later suggested he was open to negotiations with Democrats to end the standoff, hinting at the possibility of a broader agreement that could include healthcare provisions. Democrats, however, have insisted that any funding bill must protect medical coverage for low-income Americans, while Republicans are pushing for what they describe as a “clean” funding measure.

The Democratic-led proposal to extend government funding was defeated first, receiving 45 votes in favour and 50 against. The Republican version followed, failing by a 52–42 margin.

Following the votes, Trump blamed Democrats for the ongoing shutdown, writing on his Truth Social platform:

“I am happy to work with the Democrats on their Failed Healthcare Policies, or anything else, but first they must allow our Government to re-open. In fact, they should open our Government tonight!”

Democrats say they cannot support the Republican plan because it undermines access to healthcare for lower-income Americans. They are demanding that any funding measure preserve health insurance subsidies and reverse the Trump administration’s cuts to Medicaid.

Republicans, meanwhile, accuse Democrats of holding the government hostage to secure healthcare benefits for undocumented immigrants — a claim Democratic leaders strongly deny. GOP lawmakers have said healthcare concerns should be addressed in separate legislation once the government is reopened.

Speaking from the Oval Office on October 6, Trump said he was in ongoing talks with Democratic leaders about healthcare-related issues.

“We have a negotiation going on right now with the Democrats that could lead to very good things. And I'm talking about good things with regard to healthcare,” he stated.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer quickly rejected that claim, posting on X: “THIS ISN’T TRUE.”

The White House has warned since the shutdown began last Wednesday that permanent job cuts could soon follow if the stalemate continues. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated the warning on Monday, saying the Office of Management and Budget was already coordinating with agencies facing potential layoffs.

“We don't want to see people laid off. But unfortunately, if this shutdown continues, layoffs are going to be an unfortunate consequence of that,” Leavitt said, urging Democrats to back down.
“There's nothing to negotiate. Just reopen the government,” she added.

In separate television interviews on October 5, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries each accused the other’s party of prolonging the shutdown. Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press, Jeffries charged Republicans with “lying” about Democratic motives because they’re losing the court of public opinion.”

Johnson countered that Democrats were “not serious” about compromise.

“They’re doing this to get political cover,” he said.

By Tamilla Hasanova