US Senate GOP pushes new plan to break record-long government shutdown

US Senate Majority Leader John Thune told fellow Republicans during a private lunch meeting that he intends to hold a vote on November 7 aimed at paving the way to end the ongoing government shutdown, according to two people present at the discussion who spoke on condition of anonymity to POLITICO.

According to these individuals, Thune’s plan is to bring to the Senate floor the continuing resolution (CR) previously passed by the House, which Democrats have repeatedly rejected, and then seek to amend it. The proposed amendment would extend government funding until January and include a negotiated package comprising three full-year spending bills.

Thune reportedly expressed confidence that the plan could gain sufficient Democratic support to move forward. However, Democratic senators, after holding their own private lunch meeting, emerged intent on pushing for a better deal. They are expected to block the House-passed CR again unless there is further progress in negotiations, according to two other people familiar with the discussions.

Meanwhile, Senate Republican leaders are preparing to keep lawmakers in Washington in an effort to force a resolution to what has become the longest government shutdown in US history. When asked whether the chamber would remain in session through the weekend, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso confirmed, “yes.”

Even if negotiators reach an agreement soon, finalising the deal could still take several days due to procedural requirements and possible objections from individual senators.

Asked whether the two sides were getting closer to an agreement, Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire — a Democrat helping lead the bipartisan negotiations — told reporters after the Democratic lunch that she was unsure. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described the gathering as a “very good, productive meeting.”

According to several Democratic senators, the discussion focused on maintaining party unity as the latest phase of the shutdown negotiations exposed potential internal divisions. They also discussed putting forward a counter-proposal to the Republicans’ plan on the three full-year spending bills.

“We want to stay together and unified. And we had a really good conversation about how to do that,” Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut told reporters following the lunch.

By Tamilla Hasanova