Democrats Block Federal Worker Pay Bill as Shutdown Drags On

New York Times ^ | 10/24/2025 | Catie Edmondson

[SeekAndFind]

A Republican measure that would pay essential government employees faltered in the Senate, and the G.O.P. blocked a pair of Democratic bills to pay a broader swath of workers.

Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked legislation to pay federal employees who have been working without compensation during the government shutdown, thwarting Republicans’ latest effort to weaken their hand in the federal spending fight.

The defeat was part of a series of failed partisan votes on the 23rd day of the government shutdown that underscored the depth of the prolonged impasse, with neither Republicans nor Democrats showing any indication that they planned to relent and seek an off ramp.

Democrats said they opposed the G.O.P. measure because it would hand President Trump wide latitude to pick and choose which workers receive compensation while the government is shuttered. Republicans, who offered the bill in part to bolster their argument that Democrats are to blame for any pain that results from the shutdown, contended they were merely catering to their restive progressive base.

On a vote of 54 to 45, the measure fell short of the 60 votes it needed to advance. Three Senate Democrats crossed party lines to vote for it: Senators John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both of Georgia.

Senate Republicans also blocked two alternatives that Democrats attempted to pass by unanimous consent, in which all senators agree to quickly take up and approve a bill. One of them would pay both essential workers and the roughly 700,000 workers who have been furloughed since the shutdown began. A second would pay both categories of workers, and bar Mr. Trump from laying off any additional federal employees.

[Dutch Boy]

The dems sure are providing the GOP with a lot of campaign material for the next election.

[LouAvul]

If’n I was a federal employee, member of the RAT party, and my rep voted that I wouldn’t get paid....

[Sacajaweau]

Dem’s hand gets weaker and weaker. How stupid are they??

[Sacajaweau]

There are two parts to the Healthcare Subsidy...The original and the add-on when Covid came around...That put the max eligibility income at $400,000

[Terry L Smith]

Yeah, I wonder who from the AFGE was twisting the Dems arm.

[ridesthemiles]

THAT SUBSIDY NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED....
HOW MANY VOTERS EVEN KNEW IT EXISTED???

WHO CREATED THE BILL IN THE FIRST PLACE? OR WAS IT PART OF “OBAMACARE”?

[Sacajaweau]

https://www.cato.org/blog/end-obamacares-welfare-wealthy-covid-credits

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

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[No name given]

Very.