A small but growing group of Senate Democrats is splitting with party leaders on how to handle the ongoing government shutdown. The breaks have come on two tracks—votes to reopen the government and a separate push to pay some essential workers during the lapse.
On the 12 votes to advance a House-passed measure to reopen the government, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has sided with Republicans along with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with Democrats.
On Oct. 23, Georgia’s two Democratic senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, crossed the aisle—along with Fetterman—to support a GOP bill to pay military personnel and other excepted federal workers during the shutdown.
The Republican-led legislation, titled the “Shutdown Fairness Act,” failed on a cloture vote of 54–45, coming short of the 60 votes needed to advance.
Ossoff said his vote was about paying people required to work during the shutdown.
“Military servicemembers, TSA workers, and air traffic controllers are among those who simply must come to work, and they should be paid for that work,” he said.
Warnock backed the bill while keeping up his criticism of GOP strategy.
“Essential workers shouldn’t be punished because Washington Republicans chose to shut down the government … It’s critical these hardworking public servants get the pay they are owed,” he said.
Fetterman wrote in a post on X, “I’m a Democrat. I voted YES. Our government should be open. Pay our military, federal workers, and Capitol police—it shouldn’t be controversial.”
Democratic leaders opposed the targeted-pay bill introduced by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), saying it would keep much of the government closed and exclude furloughed workers. In remarks on the Senate floor Thursday, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called it “a ruse” that “would not reopen the government,” and urged Republicans to negotiate a broader deal that addresses health costs and reopens agencies.
Republican leaders said the crossover votes show pressure is building as missed paychecks mount. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said a short-term bill that would extend the current level of funding without policy add-ons remains the fastest way to end the standoff.
“We’ve heard Democrats this week criticize Senator [Ron] Johnson’s bill because it would provide pay only to workers who continue to work through the shutdown,“ Thune said in remarks Thursday. ”They say they want everybody to get paid. I’ve got great news for them: the clean continuing resolution sitting at the desk would pay everybody! Everybody! We just need five more Democrats to support it.”
Congressional Republicans have preferred to pass what they called a “clean” continuing resolution, with no policy additions, to fund the government. Democrats have sought to reinstate health care provisions, including enhanced Affordable Care Act tax subsidies, that are set to expire on Dec. 31.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said on Oct. 24 that Democrats are ready to meet “any time, any place” to negotiate a bipartisan agreement that reopens the government and addresses expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits.
“We, as Democrats, House Democrats, Senate Democrats, are ready to sit down any time, any place, with anyone here at the Capitol, or over at the White House, to negotiate a bipartisan agreement, reopen the government so we can pay our hard working federal employees,” Jeffries said.
