NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Washington is approaching its fifth week in office. government shutdownand despite several federal employee paydays quickly approaching, there has been little progress in turning the lights back on.
The Senate is expected to vote again on the House-passed government reopening plan this week, but it failed to advance a continuing resolution (CR) 12 times.
As before, legislation that would reopen the government by November 21 is expected to fail again. The same dispute that prompted the closure nearly a month ago remains unresolved.
DEMOCRATS' EYES ON OBAMACARE KEY DEADLINE AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BEGINS FOURTH WEEK
Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., continue to resist Senate Republicans' efforts to reopen the government. (Graham Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Senate Democratsled by the Senate Minority Leader Chuck SchumerDN.Y., want to strike an ironclad deal to extend expiring Obamacare premium subsidies, while Senate Republicans want to resolve the issue only after the government reopens.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., argued that Democrats' position has nothing to do with actual bonus tax breaks or a desire to negotiate.
“It's politics,” he said.
“Well, they'd like you to believe it's about healthcare” He said on the Senate floor last week. “That's not the case. Republicans have made it abundantly clear that we are willing to have a debate about health care, but not at a time when government funding is held hostage, and all the federal employees who go along with it are held hostage. So, if this was really about health care, Democrats would vote for a clean CR as the fastest way to go.” a way to reopen the government.”
Meanwhile, pay deadlines for air traffic controllers, military personnel and the cutoff in funding for federal nutrition assistance programs are just around the corner.
Air traffic controllers are expected to miss their first full payday on Tuesday after receiving a partial paycheck earlier this month.
FISCAL DISASTER SCENARIO DURING SHUTTLE CAUSES GOP TO TAKE NEW SPENDING PLAN
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., argued that the Democrats' position has nothing to do with the actual bonus tax break. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Chairman of the Senate for Trade, Science and Transport Ted CruzTexas has a bill that would fill this funding gap that is expected to come up for a vote this week. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has not yet made up his mind.
And October 31st will be military pay day. President Donald Trump earlier this month allocated billions of dollars to cover military personnel salaries, but that money is not expected to cover the upcoming pay cycle.
A bill by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., to provide pay for military personnel and “excluded” federal employees – that is, federal workers who are currently working during the shutdown but are not getting paid – was blocked by Senate Democrats last week.
However, efforts are underway between Johnson and Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, to introduce a new version of the bill. Van Hollen also tried to get his own pay bill for federal workers and military personnel last week, but was blocked in the process.
Van Hollen, like other Senate Democrats, warned that Johnson's version of the bill would give Trump and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought “a blank check as to who they're going to send home and who they're going to punish without paying.”
SCHUMER BLOCKS GOP PROPOSAL 12 to reopen government as Trump says Democrats 'lost negotiations'
Washington is approaching the fifth week of the government shutdown, and despite several federal employee paydays quickly approaching, little progress has been made to turn the lights back on. (Getty Images)
“None of our federal employees, military personnel or contractors deserve to be punished for the government shutdown,” Van Hollen said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “I continue to work to make sure that is not the case.”
And on November 1, the same day Obamacare open enrollment begins, funding for food stamps or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is expected to end.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats have taken another blow to their united front as the shutdown drags on from an outside ally that donates millions of dollars to political action committees and Democratic candidates.
American Federation of Government EmployeesThe largest federal employee union in the country, which represents more than 800,000 workers, demanded that Democrats swallow a clean Republican demand to reopen the government.
Everett Kelly, the president of the massive union, said in an open letter Monday that the best path forward is to “immediately reopen the government under a clear continuing resolution that allows debate on larger issues to continue” and ensure that every federal employee who worked or was furloughed during the shutdown receives back pay.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Because when people who serve this country are standing in line for food after missing out on their second paycheck due to this shutdown, they are not looking for partisan propaganda,” Kelly said. “They demand the wages they earned. The fact that they are being deceived is a national disgrace.”
“It is long past time for our leaders to put aside party politics and embrace responsible government,” he continued. “A strong America requires a functioning government—one that pays its bills, honors its obligations, and treats its workforce with respect by paying them on time.”
