Senate expected to vote for 10th time on House-passed measure to fund the government
The Senate is expected to vote late this morning on the measure passed by the House to fund the government until Nov. 21, after the measure fell short for a ninth time Wednesday afternoon.
Republicans have been hoping to pick up new support from Democrats on the measure, but the bill has failed to win any new votes from the minority since before the shutdown began. There are 53 Republicans in the Senate, but because most legislation requires 60 votes to advance in the upper chamber, Republicans need support from Democrats to reopen the government.
But today Senate GOP leaders will also try a different approach to restart some funding with a vote Thursday afternoon on advancing a full-year defense appropriations bill. That vote will also require 60 votes, and whether Democrats will support it remains to be seen.
Thune says he’s told Democrats he can guarantee a vote on health insurance tax credits — but not an outcome
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said in an interview on MSNBC that aired Thursday morning that he’s told Democrats “if you need a vote, we can guarantee you get a vote by a date certain” on their health insurance demands.
The South Dakota Republican added that “at some point, Democrats have to take ‘yes’ for an answer.”
Democrats have made an extension of health insurance tax credits a key condition for their support to reopen the government. But many of them have indicated that assurances from Republicans aren’t enough.
Nonetheless, Thune thinks “there’s a path forward.” He also said that the health insurance tax credits must “include reforms,” and he said he couldn’t guarantee an outcome on a vote.
“I can’t guarantee it’s going to pass,” he said. “I can guarantee you that there will be a process and you will get a vote.”
Could the government shutdown last through Thanksgiving? Thune told MSNBC, “I hope it doesn’t last through Thanksgiving.” The House-passed bill, he said, is “the quickest way to end this.”
FBI agents will get paid despite government shutdown, Patel says
The Trump administration will continue paying FBI agents despite the ongoing government shutdown that has frozen paychecks for nearly all federal workers, FBI Director Kash Patel announced Wednesday.
“You’ve found a way to get these individuals paid during a government shutdown,” Patel said to President Trump during an unrelated Oval Office event. “On behalf of the FBI, it’s a great debt that we owe you.”
Patel did not specify the source of the funds that would be used to pay the agents.
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