US Senate fails to pass bill to pay federal essential workers and troops through shutdown

The Senate failed on Thursday to pass legislation that would keep federal workers deemed essential and troops paid throughout the ongoing government shutdown – now in its 23rd day.

With a 54-45 vote, the upper chamber failed to meet the 60-vote threshold needed to advance the Shutdown Fairness Act, introduced by Ron Johnson, a Republican senator of Wisconsin.

Three Democratic senators, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and the Georgia senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, broke ranks with their party and voted in favor of the bill.

Federal government employees are guaranteed pay once the shutdown ends under US law, but the bill would mean expedited paychecks for select workers. Most Democrats opposed the move and continue to demand Republicans work with them to end the shutdown and address Affordable Care Act subsidies that will expire at the end of the year.

The Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, also opposed the bill, pointing out that Donald Trump would be able to choose which workers to pay.

“We will not give Donald Trump a license to play politics with people’s livelihoods. That’s why we oppose the Senator Johnson bill, because it doesn’t end the pain of this shutdown – it extends it,” Schumer said on the Senate floor on Thursday.