In a recent turn of events, Senate Democrats have voted against a defense appropriations bill that would have ensured pay for military personnel.
This decision was made on the same day that Democrats, for the tenth time, refused to reopen the government until their demands for increased healthcare spending, including for illegal immigrants, were met.
According to the Western Journal, the final vote for the bipartisan defense appropriations bill was 50 in favor and 44 against, falling short of the 60 votes needed to end the Senate debate. Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, the leading Democrat on the Senate Appropriations panel overseeing the defense budget, stated, I wont vote just for the defense appropriations bill, even though thats my bill.
He further emphasized the need for meaningful negotiations so that millions of Americans arent thrown off their health care in the next 10 days.
Despite the majority of Democrats voting against the bill, three Democratic lawmakers sided with Republicans to fund the military. These included Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. Fetterman, after the vote, stated, I voted YES to start considering the Houses defense spending bill because I believe the men and women in our military, who put their lives at risk for our country, should not have to worry about their paycheck coming through.
He further pledged to continue voting to end the shutdown and reopen the federal government.
As the shutdown entered its third week, President Donald Trump ensured that military service members received their pay by reallocating War Department funding. Meanwhile, Democrats have demanded the extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, set to expire at the end of this year, as a condition to vote to reopen the government.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has proposed a standalone vote on extending the Obamacare enhanced subsidies in exchange for Democrats voting to reopen the government. Fox News host John Roberts highlighted that it was the Democrats who had voted to sunset the enhanced subsidies at the end of this year in a provision in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed hope for "sensible Democrats with just a little bit of courage to stand against Bernie Sanders and [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] stand against the radical nonsense and vote to reopen the government, and then we can have serious conversations about healthcare, about immigration, and about our economy.
In addition to extending the enhanced subsidies, Democrats are also seeking changes to Medicaid eligibility in the Big Beautiful Bill passed in July, which would allow illegal immigrants to receive benefits. Republicans argue that this would cost nearly $200 billion.
Republicans argue that millions of people who entered the U.S. illegally were improperly granted at least temporary legal status under former President Joe Biden, and so should not qualify for the same benefits as other legal immigrants, reported Fox News.
House Speaker Mike Johnson stated, Illegal aliens cant get Medicaid, but that has only been true since July 4, and the reason that is a true statement is because we passed it into law and all the Democrats voted against it.
He added, What were trying to do is strengthen Medicaid, and one of the very important things we had to do is make sure that the more than 1 million illegal aliens who were collecting that were not allowed on the program.
This ongoing debate underscores the deep divide between Democrats and Republicans on issues of government spending, healthcare, and immigration. As the government shutdown continues, the question remains: Will a compromise be reached that satisfies both parties and serves the best interests of the American people?
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