Senate voting again on government funding bills as shutdown reaches 3rd day

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FILE – The Capitol is seen in Washington, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

(ABC NEWS)– The government shutdown is in its third day on Friday with senators voting for the fourth time on bills to fund the government. But with negotiations appearing stalled, it’s looking like the shutdown could extend through the weekend.

Ahead of Friday’s vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune stood firm on the Senate floor and signaled his party’s unwillingness to negotiate with Democrats over their demands in order to open the government back up.

“This shutdown needs to end sooner rather than later, and there’s only one way out of it. Democrats need to vote for the clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution sitting right there,” Thune said. “All it takes is one roll call, vote, the government’s back open.”

In addition to the GOP-backed seven-week stopgap funding measure, the Senate will also vote on the Democrat’s funding bill that includes health care provisions.

Thune criticized the Democrats’ bill, suggesting that any health care negotiations could begin after they pass the continuing resolution. But with both Republican and Democratic leaders at a stalemate, it seems as if neither bill will pass.

Both bills have failed during the three previous votes since the government shut down on Wednesday at 12:01 a.m.

Thune said he does not expect to hold votes over the weekend and the next chance to try again would be Monday. This shutdown could go on at least six days if that ends up being the case.

Thune, meanwhile, is continuing his effort to recruit more Democrats to join the GOP-backed funding bill. And Democrats met Friday afternoon to discuss their next moves.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Friday that Republicans are to blame for the shutdown.

“The Republicans can reopen the government and make peoples’ healthcare more affordable at the same time,” Schumer wrote in a post on X. “Republicans are choosing to let healthcare costs go up for Americans across this country.”

Asked Friday afternoon if President Donald Trump is talking with Democrats to work to get them onboard, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Senate Republicans are speaking to moderate Democrats and that those conversations have “become very serious.”

Thune put pressure on Democrats during a press conference Friday morning.

“We have an opportunity to pick up a House-passed bill that if it passes the Senate, will be sent to the White House, the president will sign it and the government will reopen. It’s that simple and that straightforward. And that’s what we’re talking about. All we need is a handful more Democrats,” Thune said.

The majority leader said he hoped that Democrats “have a chance to think about” their stance over the weekend.

“I don’t know how many times you give them a chance to vote no, and hopefully over the weekend, they’ll have a chance to think about it. Maybe some of these conversations start to result in something to where we can start moving some votes and actually get this thing passed,” Thune said Friday. “But there’s nothing to be gained at this point by negotiating something that there’s nothing to negotiate.”