No Breakthrough After 14 Votes
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate failed for the 14th time to pass a bill to fund the government, pushing the federal shutdown into the longest stretch in American history.
As The Hill reports:
The Senate on Tuesday shot down a bill to reopen the federal government for the 14th time, even as the chamber shows signs of life towards a possible deal to end the shutdown.
Senators voted 54-44 on the House-passed “clean” continuing resolution, which would have funded the government through Nov. 21. It needed 60 votes to advance.
Despite the tentative moves toward a deal, the tally remained largely the same. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Angus King (I-Maine) all continued to vote with Republicans. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) once again broke with the GOP on the spending measure.
The vote came as the impasse hit day 35 — tying it for the longest shutdown in U.S. history with the 2018-19 version.
With no resolution in sight, the stalemate is drawing new scrutiny over the fate of federal programs, especially food assistance for low-income Americans.
Judges Order SNAP Payments
Two federal judges — one in Massachusetts, the other in Rhode Island — ruled last week that the Trump administration must continue issuing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits despite the shutdown.
The courts cited “irreparable harm” to recipients if payments were disrupted, ordering the use of contingency funds.
USDA Announces Partial Payments
Following the rulings, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday it would release approximately $4.65 billion from those funds — enough to cover only about half of November’s usual SNAP benefits.
Trump Responds: ‘Not Before’ Government Reopens
President Donald Trump pushed back hard. In a post on Tuesday on his social platform, he wrote that SNAP benefits “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government … and not before!”
The message contradicted earlier signals from the administration that it would comply with the court rulings and provide at least partial benefits.
Political Pressures Mount
The SNAP fight highlights broader political tension on both sides.
Democrats are under pressure to strike a deal and reopen parts of the government. But Republicans face their own problem — the optics of cutting off food aid to seniors, the disabled, and struggling families — a politically fraught scenario as the holiday season approaches.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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WHAT MORE PROOF DO YOU NEED THEY “DO NOT WANT TO OPEN THE GOVERNMENT?????? THEY COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THE SUFFERING OF OUR CITIZENS, ESPECIALLY THOSE IS NEED – OUR MILITARY and THEIR FAMILIES, THOSE WHO DEPEND ON FOOD STAMP TO FEED THEM, THE E;DERLY and THE MEDICAL CARE THEY NEED. and MUCH MORE. THEY ARE GETTING PAID, PROVIDING FOR THEIR FAMILIES, and MAKING A MOCKERY OF THOSE WHO VOTED FOR THEM and THOUGHT OUR CITIZENS ARE THEIR FIRST PRIORTY. POWER and HOLDING ONTO POWER and PREFERING TO HELP ILLEGALS.