Troops Go Unpaid as Senate Rejects GOP Bill During Shutdown, Democrats Say Trump Playing Politics
The Senate on Thursday voted down a Republican plan that would have paid active-duty military members and select federal employees during the ongoing government shutdown.
The measure, introduced by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), was rejected in a 54-45 vote, falling short of the 60 votes needed to advance. The proposal sought to ensure that troops and some government workers who are still reporting to work would continue to receive paychecks despite the funding lapse.
Three Democrats – Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of Georgia, and Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania — broke with their party and supported the bill.
This was the latest effort by Republicans to pressure Democrats into negotiations as the shutdown entered its 23rd day, and to put Democrats on record as opposing pay for military personnel.
“Tomorrow, federal workers will miss a full paycheck because of the Democrat shutdown,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune before the vote. “Do they think people working ought to get paid?”
Currently, federal employees are guaranteed back pay once the government reopens. Johnson’s bill aimed to ease financial stress on those working without pay in the meantime.
Democrats, however, opposed the measure, arguing that it would give President Donald Trump excessive control over which workers continue to be paid during the shutdown. They insisted that the only way forward is to reopen the government fully and extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that are about to expire — a key point of contention between the two parties.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer dismissed the Republican plan as a political stunt. “We will not give Donald Trump a license to play politics with people’s livelihoods,” he said.
Democrats instead backed a competing proposal from Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), which would guarantee pay for all federal workers including furloughed employees, active-duty servicemembers, and federal contractors. The bill also includes protections to prevent the Trump administration from using “reductions in force” to fire federal workers during the shutdown.
“Republicans are hell-bent on letting Trump pick winners and losers here,” Van Hollen said in a statement. “Every federal worker, servicemember, and contractor deserves to get paid.”
Van Hollen attempted to pass his bill through unanimous consent shortly before the Senate voted on Johnson’s proposal, but Republicans blocked it.
The competing pay bills reflect deep divisions over how to manage the political fallout of the shutdown, which began more than three weeks ago. With no sign of progress, the Senate adjourned Thursday afternoon and will not return until Monday. Meanwhile, Trump is expected to travel overseas.
The vote also marks another shift in Republican strategy. For weeks, Thune argued that the simplest way to pay military personnel was for Democrats to approve the House-passed stopgap funding bill, which would fund the government for seven weeks. That argument has failed to gain traction.
Last week, Republicans tried to advance a standalone Defense Department funding bill, but Democrats blocked it as well. GOP leaders are now considering forcing additional votes next week including measures to pay air traffic controllers, TSA employees, and fund nutrition programs before they face a November 1 cutoff.
For now, the shutdown drags on with both sides refusing to yield leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers, military families, and contractors in limbo.
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