The Senate on Friday once again failed to advance a stopgap spending measure, leaving the federal government in a partial shutdown for another day and sending lawmakers home for the weekend with no agreement in sight.
The 54–44 vote fell short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster and move the bill forward. It marked the third failed attempt this week — and the fourth in the last two weeks — to pass a continuing resolution to reopen the government, Newsmax Reported.
Two Democrats, Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine joined most Republicans in voting for the measure. The only Republican to oppose it was Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has consistently voted against short-term funding measures on principle.
With the defeat, the shutdown will now extend into the weekend. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., had warned his colleagues earlier in the day that if Democrats blocked the bill again, he would dismiss the chamber until Monday.
“Democrats just voted to continue to keep the government shutdown to give free healthcare to illegal aliens,” the White House wrote in a sharply worded post on X. “SHAME ON THEM.”