The U.S. government shutdown will continue as the Senate again failed to end debate and bring a short-term funding measure to a vote.
The Oct. 16 vote on a Republican-backed continuing resolution fell short of the 60-vote threshold required to bring the measure to an up-or-down vote. The result was 51–45.
Leaders in both parties continue to blame the other for instigating the shutdown.
Democrats say Republicans caused the shutdown by refusing to negotiate over their proposals for health care funding, which they say are necessary to avoid dramatic cost increases and the loss of health coverage by millions.
“Republicans are shutting down the government because they refuse to address the crisis in American health care,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in an Oct. 8 Senate speech….