This article was updated on Tuesday, October 14.
This Is The First Government Shutdown In 6 Years
Today, October 14, is the 14th day of the government shutdown, which the United States government entered as the clock struck midnight on October 1.
Framed by the White House as the “Democrat Shutdown,” this is the first government shutdown in six years.
This was triggered as Republicans and Democrats in the Senate failed to reach at least 60 votes on either of their proposals to keep the government funded into the new fiscal year.
As the shutdown continues, there are many concerns about active military personnel receiving pay, but President Donald Trump notified the press of a possible solution for the meantime.
While in a meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei on October 14, Trump took a question from the press about military pay, and he said, “I actually have a man who, he’s a very wealthy person … a donor, a great gentleman, and he said, ‘If there’s any money necessary shortfall for the paying of the troops, that I will pay it.’”
There is no word yet on who this individual is.
Watch the comments made by Trump, here:
https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=grantvbromley&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1978171539926491514&lang=en&maxWidth=560px&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fcountryrebel.com%2Fu-s-government-enters-shutdown%2F&sessionId=d7b8e5d361b53f498655be3fbd8842ce895a4a14&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px
On October 14, the Senate is expected to vote on reopening the government for the eighth time since the shutdown began. Votes have been conducted almost daily on week days, with the Democrats sticking to their proposal and the Republicans sticking to theirs.
The Democrats’ proposal included healthcare subsidies that Republicans oppose as they would direct $200 billion in taxpayer funds to illegal migrants. This proposal failed in a vote of 46-52.
The Republican-backed continuing resolution introduced no new measures, being a clean stopgap resolution to continue funding the government from the previous budget.
Voting on partisan lines has led to consistent failures to reach the 60-vote threshold required for approval.
Despite the shutdown, the Senate has managed to approve over 100 Trump appointments and pass the nation’s defense budget, which is over $915 billion.
Background
“Well, the Democrat Caucus here in town, in the Senate, has chosen to shut down the government over a clean nonpartisan funding bill,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) at a press conference in the evening of Tuesday, September 30. “We didn’t ask Democrats to swallow any new Republican policies.”
Before the shutdown, Republicans proposed a continuing resolution which would have funded the government for seven more weeks to allow time for further deliberation.
Continuing, Thune stated, “We didn’t add partisan riders. We simply asked Democrats to extend funding levels to allow the Senate to continue the bipartisan appropriations work that we started.”
Democrats are largely holding firm for a spending plan which would extend expiring subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
This Republican-backed spending plan originated in the House of Representatives, where it passed 217-212, with two Republicans (Thomas Massie, R-KY; and Victoria Spartz, R-IN) opposing it and one Democrat (Jared Golden, D-ME) supporting it.
Without the Senate’s approval, the plan to keep the government afloat through November 21 has failed.
Watch Senate Majority Leader John Thune speak about the shutdown, here:
Caught In Deadlock
On September 29, President Donald Trump was asked about the then-looming government shutdown, to which he said, “The Democrats are crazed. They don’t know what they’re doing.”
A significant Republican holdout is Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who says the Republican plan is not in keeping with fiscally conservative principles.
Watch Rand discuss his opposition to both the Republican and Democrat plans, here:
https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=grantvbromley&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1972700199991525716&lang=en&maxWidth=560px&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fcountryrebel.com%2Fu-s-government-enters-shutdown%2F&sessionId=d7b8e5d361b53f498655be3fbd8842ce895a4a14&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px
While the government is shutdown, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) is pushing for an act close to his heart to be made into law.
“Since I got to Washington in 2019, I have been fighting to pass my No Budget, No Pay Act, which holds members of Congress accountable for passing a budget or forgoing their pay,” said Scott on X, formerly Twitter, adding, “Workers across America don’t get paid when they don’t do their jobs. Why should Congress be any different?”
Still, Scott holds that it is the Democrats who are responsible for the budget not moving forward, writing:
https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=grantvbromley&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1973408917003661379&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fcountryrebel.com%2Fu-s-government-enters-shutdown%2F&sessionId=d7b8e5d361b53f498655be3fbd8842ce895a4a14&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px
Meeting for a press conference outside the Capitol, overlooking the National Mall, in the morning of October 1, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said , “We’re overlooking the National Mall, a beautiful site that a lot of the American people will not be able to experience today.”
Visitors to D.C. will not be able to enter the U.S. Capitol today, he said, adding, “That’s because the Democrats followed through with their threat to shut down the United States government.”
Further, he said, “As we speak here this morning, there are hundreds of thousands of federal workers who are getting their furlough notices. Nearly half of our civilian workforce is getting sent home. These are hardworking Americans who work for our federal government.”
Watch the full Republican press conference, here:
