Democrats blocked the Senate from considering a defense spending bill on Thursday afternoon that would pay military service members during the shutdown.
Senators voted 50 to 44, with just three Democrats breaking with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to advance a full-year defense appropriations bill. The failed vote comes as Congress is locked in a stalemate to end the 16-day shutdown with Democrats largely refusing to cross party lines and reopen the government.
The defense appropriations bill would fund the Department of War for the upcoming fiscal year and ensure that active-duty troops do not miss a paycheck during the shutdown. The measure also includes a military pay raise.
Military personnel would have gone without pay for the first time in U.S. history on Wednesday if President Donald Trump had not tapped unused Pentagon funding to temporarily cover troop pay.
However, there is no guarantee of future paychecks for military personnel if the shutdown continues into November.
Democratic Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire joined Republicans in advancing the defense spending bill that would fund troop pay for the entire fiscal year. The funding measure notably passed out of the Appropriations Committee with near unanimous support in July.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune blasted Democrats for filibustering the measure during a fiery speech on the Senate floor.
“After voting last week for an authorization bill to increase troop pay, Democrats just voted against the bill that would actually pay the troops,” Thune said.
“They’re happy to sacrifice any American and evidently any principle to their political goals,” Thune continued. “Democrats like to position themselves as the party of the little guy and the defender of hard-working Americans, but as this vote makes clear, who do Democrats really care about?”
Hellbound and Down 
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