...
By Peter Aitken
Politics Weekend Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The majority of Democrats voted against reappropriating funds to pay U.S. military personnel and essential workers on Thursday, in a key vote that could mark a turning point in the standoff between the two parties as the federal government shutdown continues.
The vote failed 54-45, preventing the bill from reaching the threshold to pass the "Shutdown Fairness Act." This followed Republicans blocking a bill proposed by Democrats that would have paid all federal workers, members of the military, and federal contractors while also blocking President Donald Trump from attempting mass layoffs during the shutdown.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune changed his vote to "no" before the close of voting so that he could table a motion to reconsider the bill.
Read More on Politics
Newsweek reached out to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's office via email for comment.
...
Why It Matters
The issue of pay for military personnel arose at the start of October as families faced down the possibility of missing out on a paycheck: The matter reached a fever pitch when House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared on C-SPAN to answer calls from voters and was subjected to a sharp rebuke from a Republican voter and military spouse over his reluctance to support a separate bill funding pay for the military.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries pounced on the opportunity and declared his support for a bill if it was brought to the floor, and Trump just days later said he would ensure that military families received pay during the shutdown.
Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, a Republican, said ahead of the vote that it would prove "hard" for Democrats who knew that agreeing to pay certain employees would allow the government to substantially resume operations and significantly weaken any negotiating power the Democrats have.
Who Voted Against Paying Military Personnel?
Senators John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Jon Ossoff of Georgia, and Rafael Warnock of Georgia voted to pass the reappropriations bill, making them the sole holdouts among Senate Democrats to vote in favor of it.
Democrats in the days leading up to the vote had indicated they were unlikely to back the measure, with Republicans using the vote to pressure their rivals into breaking ranks as the shutdown enters its fourth week, making it the second-longest government shutdown after a 35-day shutdown that ran from December 2018 to January 2019 over funding for the border wall.
The Democrats who voted against the bill include:
- Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland
- Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin
- Michael Bennet of Colorado
- Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut
- Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware
- Cory Booker of New Jersey
- Maria Cantwell of Washington
- Chris Coons of Delaware
- Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada
- Tammy Duckworth of Illinois
- Dick Durbin of Illinois
- Ruben Gallego of Arizona
- Kirsten Gillibrand of New York
- Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire
- Martin Heinrich of New Mexico
- John Hickenlooper of Colorado
- Mazi Hirono of Hawaii
- Tim Kaine of Virginia
- Mark Kelly of Arizona
- Andy Kim of New Jersey
- Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
- Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico
- Ed Markey of Massachusetts
- Jeff Merkley of Oregon
- Chris Murphy of Connecticut
- Patty Murray of Washington
- Alex Padilla of California
- Gary Peters of Michigan
- Jack Reed of Rhode Island
- Jacky Rosen of Nevada
- Brian Schatz of Hawaii
- Adam Schiff of California
- Chuck Schumer of New York
- Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire
- Elissa Slotkin of Michigan
- Tina Smith of Minnesota
- Chris Van Hollen of Maryland
- Mark Warner of Virginia
- Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
- Peter Welch of Vermont
- Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island
- Ron Wyden of Oregon
Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, independents who caucus with the Democrats, also voted against the bill.
Are Military Retirees Paid During Government Shutdown?
While active-duty military members require active funding and are therefore vulnerable should a lapse in appropriations occur, retirees receive mandatory pay, according to the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).
However, retirees who receive benefits for service in the commissioned corps of the U.S. Public Health Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would require new funding for those institutions to continue receiving benefits.
MOAA said in a statement released at the end of September that it would actively work to find a solution, but also urged lawmakers to "break the long cycle of budget brinkmanship and pass funding bills in a timely fashion, which would alleviate this type of fallout."
When is the Next Senate Vote on the Government Shutdown?
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday held its 12th vote on a funding bill, which received only 54 votes in favor—short of the 60 needed to pass. Independent Senator Angus King of Maine and Democrats Fetterman and Cortez Masto broke ranks with the caucus and voted for the bill.
Another vote could happen later on Thursday or on Friday as the Senate seeks an end to the shutdown and deeper impacts start to hit workers across the federal government and the country.
Update 10/23/25, 3:24 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines