Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., aren't ready to back down from their shutdown position yet as the fight nears its fourth week. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Senate Democrats want an extension to expiring Obamacare subsidies, which were enhanced when Senate Democrats controlled the upper chamber under President Joe Biden and are set to expire by the end of this year.
Schumer accused congressional Republicans of being unwilling to solve the problem, despite overtures from Senate Republicans that they'd be open to have a vote on the matter.
"What kind of country do we live in? What kind of party is this Republican Party that is unwilling to solve this problem, which is staring Americans in the face, frightening Americans from one end of the country to the other," Schumer said. "And yet Republicans, what are they doing about it? Nothing. They're on vacation. It's unacceptable and morally repugnant."
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., contended over the weekend at the "No Kings" rally in Washington, D.C., that when Democrats were in charge, the government never shut down.
"The government is shut down and shutdowns are painful," he said. "They hurt people. And frankly, that's why there was not a single government shutdown when Joe Biden was president and Democrats were in charge of Congress. Because we acted like adults, we negotiated with Republicans. We found common ground. We kept the government open."
SENATE DEMOCRATS BLOCK GOP PLAN FOR 10TH TIME, ENSURING SHUTDOWN LASTS INTO NEXT WEEK
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, during the congressional picnic on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, June 12, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Thune said that he planned to tee up legislation from Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and several other Senate Republicans that would pay military service members and certain "excepted" federal workers who are still working despite the ongoing shutdown. That bill could be ready for a vote by Thursday at the latest.
When asked if he worried that Senate Democrats would continue to take hostages during the shutdown fight, Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said, "Hopefully not."
"Because at whatever point the Schumer shutdown ends is because the Democrats are finally tired of it, or they hear enough from their constituents," he said. "Hopefully enough people will tell them, ‘Hey, we don't want that anymore. You keep government open. Do the job.’"
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But for now, there’s no real end in sight for the shutdown.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, contended that neither side would break the impasse given that there’s no "incentive" to do so.
"What we're seeing is different," Murkowski said. "You've got both sides that are just really hard dug in, but everybody thinks they're winning. Nobody is winning when everybody's losing. And that's what's happening right now. The American public is losing."
Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-dems-emboldened-weekend-rallies-block-gop-plan-end-shutdown-11th-time