Government Shutdown Day 23: Another Senate vote fails after being delayed by filibuster
12th vote to reopen government delayed following Democratic senator's hours-long filibuster
The Senate voted for the 12th time on Wednesday on a deal to end the government shutdown. It was delayed after Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley held a 22-hour filibuster Tuesday night. The vote failed once again.
WASHINGTON - The Senate voted once again to reopen the government on Wednesday.
It was the 12th time the vote has failed with a 54-46 on Wednesday, falling short of the 60 votes needed to pass the legislation.
Democrats hold the floor
The filibuster:
The vote was delayed after Democrats refused to yield the floor Tuesday night into Wednesday.
Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, opened the floor speeches by accusing Republicans of being "unwilling to clean up this mess" created by enacting legislation he says will strip millions of Americans of Medicaid coverage.
"Colleagues, I'm coming tonight to ring alarm bells because we have become an authoritarian nation over the last nine months," he said. "We are deep into an authoritarian takeover."
Since Trump took office earlier this year, Senate Democrats have staged several marathon speeches to protest his actions.
Merkley said he’ll keep the Senate floor tonight as long as he’s able. At one point he was standing beside a sign that warns, "Ring the alarm bells: authoritarianism is here now!"
Merkley warned that Trump’s actions since taking office amount to an authoritarian power grab. He’s also criticized the Supreme Court for failing to impose stronger limits on presidential authority.
Another day of the shutdown
What we know:
The 2025 government shutdown is heading into day 23. It's on track to become one of the longest in U.S. history as Democrats continue to oppose the Republican-backed bill to reopen the government.
Senate Democrats have repeatedly voted down a Republican-backed bill to reopen the government during the shutdown, insisting Congress first extend subsidies for health plans under the Affordable Care Act.
They have refused to back down from their demands that Congress address health care subsidies before any funding deal moves forward.
Republicans, meanwhile, say they won’t negotiate until a short-term spending bill is passed.
Senators remain deadlocked
Dig deeper:
Several Democrats have crossed over to support a House-passed bill that would fund the government through Nov. 21.
Republicans still need five more Democratic votes to reach the 60-vote threshold required to send the measure to President Donald Trump's desk.
Federal workers facing financial challenges
What we don't know:
Approximately 700,000 federal workers have been furloughed, with more than 4,000 receiving layoff notices. The Capital Area Food Bank is stepping up to support affected families by setting up food distribution sites across Maryland, Virginia, and D.C.
Radha Muthiah, CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank, said, "People will be able to come just show an active federal government employee or contractor ID, and they’ll be able to pick up a box of nutritious shelf stable items."
For federal workers in need, MARC trains and commuter buses are now free, and food distribution sites will remain open until the government reopens.