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The Senate is holding a rare weekend session with the chamber still in limbo as lawmakers try to find a way out of the government shutdown.
Behind the scenes, appropriators are preparing three spending bills to attach to the House-passed Continuing Resolution (CR), along with an extension of the bill that would, if passed, reopen the government until December or January.
Whether a vote on the revamped CR and spending package will happen on Saturday remains uncertain. Senate Democrats, as they have done 14 times before, are likely to block it. All of this comes as the Senate is scheduled to take a week-long recess to coincide with Veterans Day.
Democrats block GOP bill ensuring federal workers continue military pay during shutdown
Senate Majority Leader John Thune wants to reignite government funding, but Senate Democrats appear unwilling to support his efforts. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
But Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., now wants to keep lawmakers in town until the shutdown ends.
When asked if there would be a vote on the plan, Thune said it would be ideal to put the package up for debate, but “we have to get the votes to actually pass it.” Republicans are wary of bringing the resolution up again just to see it fail.
“I’ve been talking all morning with some of the people involved in the meeting, and I think we’re getting closer to getting it ready,” Thune said. “We just need to get the text out there.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus, emboldened by sweeping Election Day victories earlier in the week, are sticking with their newly released plan that would extend the expiring Obamacare subsidy for one year and create a bipartisan working group to negotiate next steps after the government reopens.
But Senate Republicans immediately rejected the idea; Thune called it “unsuccessful,” while others in the GOP were angered by the proposal.
Sen. Eric Schmidt, R-Mo., charged that he will appeal to President Donald Trump and his administration to cut funding for “pet projects” in blue states and cities to pay federal workers as the shutdown continues.
Schumer and Democrats unveil an alternative shutdown plan, and demand an extension of Obamacare support for a year
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 7: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) attends a press conference following a weekly Democratic policy luncheon on Capitol Hill on October 7, 2025 in Washington, DC. The government remains closed after Congress failed to reach a funding agreement last week. (Photo by Andrew Harnick/Getty Images) (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
“The idea that you would have a bunch of suicide pilots trying to burn this whole place down because they cheered on elections that Democrats won in Democratic areas is absolutely crazy,” he said.
However, Senate Democrats were largely unsurprised that Republicans rejected the offer.
“I know many Republicans came out of the gate to reject this offer, but this is a terrible mistake,” Schumer said.
Throughout the 39-day shutdown, Thune and his caucus said they would not address benefits until after the government reopened, and offered Schumer and Senate Democrats a vote on a bill addressing the health care issue once the shutdown ends.
“I’m not surprised,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. “They don’t want to help people with their health care.”
But Republicans countered that a simple extension of the enhanced subsidies, which were modified under former President Joe Biden during the COVID-19 pandemic, would shift money directly to insurers.
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama, is in talks with Senate Democrats about a path forward, particularly by jump-starting government funding with the impending trilogy of spending bills.
Thune says ‘the wheels are off’ as Republicans ponder next shutdown move
US President Donald Trump waits for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to arrive at the White House on October 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Deitch/Getty Images)
After Schumer revealed the Democrats’ plan, she charged, “Since Obamacare went into effect, look, who’s gotten rich? It’s not the people.”
“They’re talking about people’s premiums, and they’re taking them to companies that are actually making money from them? They’re not,” Britt said. “So I’m looking forward to understanding why they want to continue these profits and not actually help the people they serve.”
However, Senate Democrats maintain that their offer was fair.
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Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said some in the caucus wanted to extend support for several years, while others wanted to go beyond simply boosting subsidies. He reiterated his frustration that the crux of the issue, in his view, is that neither Schumer nor Thune will sit down and negotiate.
“We made a really simple, bite-sized offer that could galvanize the government into action [is] “It’s really good for them politically. I still don’t understand why they wouldn’t accept this offer,” he said.