Senate Democrats Block 13th Vote, Shutdown Enters Fourth Week

The Senate failed again to advance the House-passed continuing resolution, leaving a partial government shutdown in place as essential workers miss paydays and benefits face imminent interruptions. This piece lays out who’s blocking reopening, the human costs stacking up, the political theater around blame, and why Senate Democrats, led by Senator Chuck Schumer, are taking heat from the right. It keeps quoted material from the original reporting intact while focusing on the immediate practical fallout and political responsibility.

The ninth time might be a fluke, the thirteenth time is a pattern, and that pattern now defines the moment. Senate Democrats once again stopped the advancement of the House-passed continuing resolution, prolonging a shutdown that has already lasted weeks. Ordinary Americans feel the strain while the Senate plays political games under Majority Leader Schumer’s watch.

“Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked Republicans’ 13th attempt to reopen the government after having nearly a week to mull their options — and with a series of pressure-point deadlines rapidly closing in.” That sentence, reported from the floor, captures the procedural reality: repeated GOP efforts have been rebuffed. The party in charge of the Senate minority is using unified obstruction to force concessions instead of funding the government now.

The consequences are immediate. Air traffic controllers missed their first payday, and the military is set to miss a full payday, which is unthinkable in a country that still depends on a ready, paid force. Nutrition assistance programs are on a predictable countdown toward running out, and millions of families could see benefits interrupted as early as next month. Those are not abstract policy items; they are paychecks and meals.

“On the 28th day of the shutdown, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., tried to advance the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) and was again foiled by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the Democratic caucus.” That line lays responsibility where the facts place it: the minority leader and his caucus repeatedly block reopening measures. Political cohesion inside the Democratic caucus has become a weapon used to leverage other priorities at the expense of keeping the government running.

Republicans in both chambers are now exploring short-term stopgaps to make sure critical workers get paid and SNAP and other benefits keep going. Those measures are narrowly focused, aimed at preventing immediate harm while the larger budget fight continues. Conservative lawmakers argue that funding essential services should not be hostage to unrelated demands.

“Failure to reopen the government on Tuesday came as air traffic controllers missed their first payday. The military is set to miss its first full payday on Friday. Then there is the looming cliff for federal nutrition benefits on Saturday — the same day as open enrollment begins nationwide for Obamacare.” This blunt timeline makes the stakes clear: if the Senate keeps stonewalling, the practical fallout will compound into a political and humanitarian mess. Voters notice missed paychecks more than procedural excuses.

Senator Schumer has tried to shift blame offshore, pointing fingers at the president’s absence while the president conducts diplomacy abroad. The argument that a president traveling overseas somehow removes the Senate’s duty to fund the government does not hold up constitutionally or politically. Leadership in the Senate means acting in the face of deadlines; obstructing remains a choice with real victims.

“Schumer railed against Republicans ahead of the vote, and blamed President Donald Trump for being overseas this week as a reason that no forward progress was being made on reopening the government.” That quote shows the messaging: point outward, not inward. But pointing outward does not solve paychecks, combat readiness, or hungry families. Until enough Democrats push back within their own caucus, the shutdown will keep producing preventable harm.

Political cohesion can be admirable when it protects national interests, but cohesion used to prevent basic funding is just leverage at public expense. The choice facing Senators is simple: fund essential services now or explain to voters why they let paychecks and nutrition benefits lapse. That is the moment; the blame and responsibility rest with those who keep voting no.