As the United States entered Day 24 of its protracted government shutdown on October 23, 2025, the Senate once again found itself at an impasse. Lawmakers rejected a series of dueling bills aimed at providing pay to the hundreds of thousands of federal workers, military members, and contractors who have kept the country running despite the lapse in government funding. The failure to advance any of the proposed measures means the shutdown, already one of the longest in U.S. history, will stretch into a fourth week, with little sign of a breakthrough on the horizon.
The Senate’s most recent effort to bring relief to federal employees centered on the Shutdown Fairness Act, a bill sponsored by Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. The measure was designed to ensure that federal employees, military personnel, and contractors required to work during funding lapses would receive their paychecks on time. However, as reported by CBS News, the bill fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance, with a final tally of 54 to 45. Notably, three Democrats—John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of Georgia—crossed party lines to support the GOP-led proposal.
Senator Johnson, undeterred by the defeat, told reporters he would continue pushing for his bill in hopes of negotiating a bipartisan solution. "The way to do it is get on the bill and then start working out the differences and hopefully pass it next week. Now, I fear it won't get cloture. That doesn't mean the discussions won't continue," Johnson said, according to Axios. He emphasized his desire for a permanent fix, stating, "I want to make this permanent. I want to stop playing brinkmanship. I want to stop playing with people's lives." Johnson also expressed openness to discussions about limiting the president’s authority to lay off employees during a shutdown, provided it didn’t “completely hamstring” the White House.
The partisan gridlock was on full display as Democrats put forward their own measures to pay federal workers, only to be blocked by Republican objections. Democratic Senator Gary Peters of Michigan introduced the Military and Federal Employee Protection Act, which would have provided pay for federal workers and military members retroactive to October 1, 2025. "It seems to me that we all agree in this chamber that we want to pay federal workers. My bill will do just that, and nothing else," Peters said on the Senate floor. Despite the bill’s narrower focus, Johnson objected, preventing a vote.
Similarly, Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland offered the True Shutdown Fairness Act, which sought to pay all federal workers—including those furloughed—and prevent further layoffs. Van Hollen argued that, "We should not be punishing federal employees for something they had nothing to do with." He criticized Johnson’s bill for giving the president too much discretion over who would be paid during a shutdown. Johnson, for his part, noted the similarities between the two proposals but insisted his bill targeted those “we are forcing to work.” He also indicated a willingness to expand his bill to include furloughed workers, but Van Hollen remained noncommittal, emphasizing the need to restrict the administration from implementing more layoffs.
The Senate’s inability to reach consensus left lawmakers with little choice but to adjourn on October 24, 2025, at 4:43 p.m. They are scheduled to reconvene at 3 p.m. on Monday, October 27, 2025—by which time the shutdown will have entered its 27th day. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives remains largely out of session, with House Democrats planning an in-person caucus meeting in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday evening and House Republicans set to hold a conference call earlier that day.
As the legislative stalemate drags on, the practical consequences for federal workers are becoming increasingly dire. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that continued inaction could lead to significant disruptions for Americans during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, traditionally the busiest travel period of the year. "With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, we are nearing the busiest travel period of the entire year, when millions of Americans will go to airports to spend time with their loved ones," Leavitt said at a press briefing. She cautioned that if the shutdown persists, "there will be significant flight delays, disruptions and cancellations in major airports across the country this holiday season."
Leavitt noted that approximately 13,000 air traffic controllers are currently working without pay. The Transportation Security Administration, she added, screened more than 3 million passengers on the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2024—a record-breaking figure. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy echoed these concerns, stating that air traffic controllers “are angry” and will miss their first full paycheck next week. Duffy pointed out the difficult choices these essential workers face: “They have to make choices. And the choices they’re making is to take a second job. Well, I don’t want my air traffic controllers to take a second job. I want them to do one job.”
The political finger-pointing has intensified as the shutdown drags on. Senate Majority Leader John Thune placed the blame squarely on Democrats, criticizing them for voting against the GOP bill that would have ensured pay for essential federal workers. “I don’t know how you would explain — if you have any federal employees — how you would vote against something that would make sure that, in the middle of a government shutdown, if they continue to work, that they get paid. That’s all it was. Very simple, very straightforward,” Thune said on the Senate floor. He accused Democrats of putting their political base ahead of the broader public, arguing, “The real reason we’re now in the longest full shutdown in history is because Democrats are afraid of backlash from the far-left if they stand down.”
On the other side, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer lambasted President Donald Trump for leaving on an overseas trip amid the shutdown and a looming health care crisis. “We are staring into the abyss of the health care crisis here in America, and what is Donald Trump doing as we stare into the abyss of the health care crisis? He’s flying off yet again to another corner of the world while people’s premiums are set to skyrocket here at home,” Schumer said. He accused the president of being “out of touch and oblivious to our nation’s struggles,” and insisted that “the shutdown is on Donald Trump’s back, and the American people know it.” Schumer dismissed Johnson’s bill as a “ruse,” arguing that it “doesn’t end the pain of the shutdown. It extends it.”
Amid the political stalemate, the economic costs of the shutdown continue to mount. The U.S. Treasury Department reported that the nation’s gross national debt has surpassed $38 trillion for the first time—a milestone exacerbated by the shutdown’s impact on economic activity. Michael A. Peterson, CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, remarked, “Reaching $38 trillion in debt during a government shutdown is the latest troubling sign that lawmakers are not meeting their basic fiscal duties.”
With no clear resolution in sight, federal workers, contractors, and the broader public remain caught in the crossfire of a deepening partisan standoff. As Congress prepares for another week of negotiations, the stakes—for the economy, for public services, and for the people whose livelihoods are at risk—could hardly be higher.
