Democrats Block Defense Spending Bill That Would Have Paid Troops During Shutdown

Senate Democrats blocked consideration of a defense spending bill that would have funded the military and ensured continued pay for active-duty service members during the ongoing government shutdown, now in its 17th day.

In a 50-44 vote, Democrats largely fell in line with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, filibustering the measure despite its bipartisan origins and previous support. Only three Democrats—John Fetterman (PA), Catherine Cortez Masto (NV), and Jeanne Shaheen (NH)—joined Republicans to advance the bill.

The legislation would have fully funded the Department of Defense for the fiscal year, provided a military pay raise, and ensured troops would not miss paychecks. It had previously passed the Senate Appropriations Committee with near-unanimous support in July.

Troop Pay at Risk as Shutdown Drags On

As the shutdown drags into its third week with no deal in sight, concerns over military pay have intensified. This week, President Donald Trump authorized emergency funds from unused Pentagon accounts to prevent troops from going unpaid for the first time in American history.

However, the workaround is temporary, and unless Congress passes appropriations, future military paychecks are not guaranteed.

“After voting last week for an authorization bill to increase troop pay, Democrats just voted against the bill that would actually pay the troops,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) in a floor speech. “They’re happy to sacrifice any American and evidently any principle to their political goals.”

Democrats Hold the Line, Demand Healthcare Add-Ons

Democratic leaders, led by Schumer, have made clear they won’t support stopgap or standalone funding measures unless Republicans agree to include unrelated healthcare provisions in the broader negotiations.

“We have an obligation, and now an opportunity, to pay our military in a lawful way instead of just moving funds from one account to another, as President Trump is doing,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)—before voting against the very bill that would pay the military legally.

Sen. Thune blasted Democrats for what he called partisan obstruction and inconsistency.

“Democrats like to position themselves as the party of the little guy and the defender of hard-working Americans, but as this vote makes clear, who do Democrats really care about?” Thune asked.

Bipartisan Fractures Emerge

Despite Democratic leadership’s hardline stance, the party’s unity seems to be cracking. Alongside Fetterman and Cortez Masto, Independent Sen. Angus King (ME), who caucuses with Democrats, also broke ranks to support a bipartisan measure to reopen the government earlier Thursday.

Still, for the tenth time, Senate Democrats successfully filibustered a resolution to end the shutdown, leaving millions of federal workers—including the military—uncertain about their futures.

A Political Gamble

Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) said the maneuver exposes Democrats as “not serious about working on appropriations,” accusing them of playing politics with national defense in an attempt to resist Trump.

“This is a losing argument with the American people,” Schmitt said.

Meanwhile, Schumer continues to insist that no deal will pass without concessions on healthcare policy, including prescription drug price controls and Medicaid expansion incentives—issues unrelated to the government funding bills at hand.

Shutdown Poised to Break Records

With the Senate not scheduled to reconvene until Monday, the shutdown appears set to become one of the longest in American history. Critical government services have slowed or stopped, hundreds of thousands of federal workers are furloughed, and national parks and facilities remain closed.

“At some point, reasonable Democrats are going to have to come to the conclusion that this doesn’t benefit anybody,” Thune said during a Thursday interview on MSNBC. “That used to be a position held by Democrat leadership.”

For now, troops are paid only temporarily, and future paydays remain uncertain unless Congress acts—and so far, partisan gridlock continues to hold.

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