The Senate is trapped in a shutdown Groundhog’s Day with no end in sight.
Senators rejected dueling stopgap spending bills Monday for the fifth time as lawmakers show few signs of nearing a detente — even as the shutdown-induced pain is poised to grow as the federal funding lapse heads into its second workweek.
Senate Republicans had hoped the Trump administration’s imminent threat of mass firings, paired with a weekend back home to hear from constituents, would shake loose even a couple of potential swing-vote Democrats. Add to that the fact that most federal workers and active duty members of the military are due to miss their first paychecks Oct. 10 and Oct. 15, respectively.
But Monday evening, Democratic Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada — alongside independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats — were once again the only three to break ranks and vote to advance the GOP-led stopgap bill, which would fund the government until Nov. 21.
