WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a Republican‑sponsored bill meant to guarantee pay for federal workers, members of the military, and “essential” personnel working during the ongoing government shutdown, delaying relief for many and further entrenching the funding stalemate.
The bill, known as the Shutdown Fairness Act and sponsored by Sen. Ron Johnson (R‑WI), would have provided immediate pay to non‑furloughed federal employees, the military, and contractors required to work during the shutdown.
In the procedural vote, the measure failed to advance, receiving 54 votes in favor and 45 against, falling short of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster. Only three Democrats joined Republicans in supporting it.
As The Hill reports:
The legislation would pay service members as well as employees who are determined by agency heads to be “excepted” from the shutdown or who are “performing emergency work.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said that would have included more than 300 congressional employees, including Capitol police, who worked overnight Tuesday and Wednesday morning to keep the Senate floor open while Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) spoke for 22 hours and 37 minutes in protest of President Trump.
Johnson’s bill would also have guaranteed pay for federal workers who are on duty throughout the shutdown, including air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration agents, park rangers, federal law enforcement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and Border Patrol agents, Thune said.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) blasted the Republican bill as a “ruse” that would give White House budget director Russell Vought broad authority to pick and choose what federal departments and agencies to reopen and which to keep closed.
On the Senate floor, Schumer accused the White House of using the shutdown as a political weapon. “It’s nothing more than another tool for Trump to hurt federal workers and American families and to keep this shutdown going for as long as he wants,” he said. “We will not give Donald Trump a license to play politics with people’s livelihoods. That’s why we oppose this.”
Military and essential workers who continue operating under the shutdown without pay are under mounting pressure. The failure to pass this bill leaves them in limbo despite legal guarantees of retroactive pay after the shutdown ends.
Pay has been suspended since Oct. 1 for about 2 million federal employees, while another 900,000 have been furloughed.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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I know Congress protected their self years ago to prevent them not getting payed during shutdown, it’s time for that to be revoked for good and with no back pay.
The U.S. Constitution says that legislators must be paid. It does not say when they must be paid. So, their pay could be suspended, but back pay is required.
Trump is using the shutdown as a political weapon? Hey Chuck, you caused this, so wear the consequences !
Not Congress, Schumer and senate democrats.
I feel that the senate and congress should loose there pay, that is loose their pay for as long as the government is shut down. Totally lose and do not get it when they go back to doing their job.
REPREHENSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
President Trump should use liberal tactics by finding and making public emotionally poignant stories of individuals suffering under the lockdown. Secondly, he should order all military personnel to their domestic bases, and order them to stand down. He should make public the probable and actual consequences of the Democrat actions. All federal employees not involved with the excepted agencies, such as social security, to be furloughed. If they won’t be paid, they shouldn’t work.
Schumer shoild be arrested and jailed.
DEMS dont CARE about voters, workers A-Z
ONLY for Power
Well, it seems the dirty dems have done real damage to themselves with this latest shut-down vote. I’m hoping military personnel remember this and demokrats will not receive any votes from anyone in the military. A great big zero for Schumer and fiends.