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Senate rejects pay plan for some federal workers. Thoughts?

The Senate on Thursday rejected a plan to pay active-duty members of the military and select government workers for the duration of the federal funding lapse.

It’s the latest gambit from Republican senators to coax Democrats to the table amid the partisan shutdown standoff — and put Democrats on record against paying active-duty members of the military.

Lawmakers voted 54-45 against advancing legislation from Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), which would keep paychecks flowing to the troops and some federal employees who are not furloughed during the shutdown. Three Democrats broke rank to support the effort: Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.

But Democrats continue to demand that Republicans negotiate with them to end the shutdown and extend soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act subsidies to prevent massive premium hikes. Until that happens, they are refusing en masse to block other legislation intended to soothe some of the shutdown’s biggest political pain points.

Many Democrats also warn that the Johnson bill would cause considerable harm, as it would empower President Donald Trump to pick and choose who gets to be paid and who must remain on furlough without a paycheck. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer dismissed the GOP measure as a “ruse” that could end up prolonging the shutdown. Democrats were instead backing a bill from Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) that would pay all federal workers during the shutdown — furloughed employees, servicemembers and contractors. It also would bar the Trump administration from using “reductions in force” orders to fire workers for the duration of the funding lapse.

Source: https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/10/23/congress/senate-rejects-pay-plan-for-some-federal-workers-00620433

Senate rejects pay plan for some federal workers. Thoughts?
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