Our government is stuck in the longest shutdown in U.S. history, now dragging into its 39th day, with no end in sight.
Breitbart reported that this historic gridlock, driven by a fierce standoff over funding, has Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., keeping the Senate in session relentlessly, even calling rare weekend meetings to push Democrats toward a deal.
Back in September, the House passed a clean continuing resolution to keep the government running through late November, a straightforward fix to avoid this mess. Yet, Senate Democrats have blocked that resolution not once, not twice, but fifteen times, leaving federal workers and services in limbo.
While the House sits idle waiting for Senate action, Thune has dragged senators back to the Capitol for a rare Saturday session, a move that screams frustration with the Democrat-led stall tactics.
Normally, the Senate would skip town on weekends, but not under Thune’s watch—not when the stakes are this high.
Let’s unpack why Democrats are holding the line: they triggered this shutdown to spark a national debate on healthcare, betting they could outmessage Republicans on the issue.
Their gamble seemed timed to sway off-year elections earlier this week, where they notched strong wins in mostly blue states, emboldening their caucus to dig in deeper.
Even so, whispers before the elections hinted some Democrats were itching for an exit strategy, though those election results appear to have stiffened their spines.
Only three senators—John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez-Masto, D-N.M., and Angus King, I-Maine—have crossed party lines to join Republicans in voting to reopen the government, a lonely trio in a sea of opposition.
Republicans, under Thune’s leadership, have floated a compromise: a guaranteed vote on extending expiring COVID-era Obamacare premium subsidies, a key Democrat demand in recent weeks.
But Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., fired back on Friday with a counteroffer for a full one-year extension of those subsidies, aiming to keep the issue alive through the midterms—a proposal Thune swiftly dismissed as a non-starter.
With a potential 16th vote on the continuing resolution looming on Sunday, all eyes are on whether Democrats will budge or if this deadlock will stretch even longer.
Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are set to huddle over lunch on Sunday to strategize their next move, a sign that Thune isn’t letting up on the pressure.
It’s a classic Washington standoff—Republicans pushing for fiscal responsibility and a quick reopen, while Democrats cling to policy wins at the expense of federal stability. Isn’t it telling that the longest shutdown in our history comes from a refusal to compromise on a bill already passed by the House?
Let’s hope Sunday’s talks bring some sanity back to the Capitol before day 40 becomes an even uglier milestone.