The Senate will vote once again on Democratic and Republican funding bills Friday, with a near-certainty that both will fail and the government will remain shuttered into next week.
Senators have already blocked the two stopgap spending bills, or continuing resolutions, on the floor three times. But Republican leaders are hoping additional votes will keep the pressure on Democrats as potential dealmaking to get out of the shutdown remains in flux.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Thursday that the upper chamber will likely take the weekend off — a change from previous plans — before returning next week for additional votes. The House, which already passed Republicans’ CR mostly along party lines, has been in recess for two weeks and will return Monday.
“We’re going to give my Democrat colleagues another opportunity to reopen the government by passing the clean, nonpartisan funding extension before us,” Thune said on the floor Thursday.
