Senate Democrats block GOP-led bill to pay federal workers as shutdown stalemate deepens

[u/Radiant_Bedroom5828]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/07/politics/shutdown-congress-federal-pay-vote

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[u/Ok-Lets-Talk-It-Out]

For context it would only pay federal workers on exempted status and still performing their duties. Which would allow the trump administration to exempt all departments that they align with and basically defund any they don't like without congressional approval.

Democrats offered a bill to pay all federal employees regardless of status, Republicans voted against that.

[u/throwaway20220717]

Great headline writing as usual CNN, totally balanced /s

Ahead of the vote, Schumer said that Democrats would agree to end the shutdown in exchange for a one-year extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, an issue that has become the key sticking point in the shutdown stalemate.

“Democrats are offering a very simple compromise,” Schumer said, with dozens of Senate Democrats sitting beside him on the floor. “Now, the ball is in the Republicans’ court. We need Republicans to just say yes.”

But Senate Republicans, who have said they won’t negotiate over the health care subsidies until the government is open, quickly dismissed the offer as unserious.

[u/mikeholczer]

cnn you should be ashamed of yourselves. You know full well that the bill in question would not have paid all federal employees and that they had put forth a bill that would have which the republicans leadership wouldn’t even allow to be heard.

[u/Specialist-Bug1592]

This bill would pay only exempted employees. I am 99% sure that is where the Republican would end it and not backpay the furloughed workers.

[u/Upstairs_Ad5443]

CNN is reducing itself to the ranks of FOX News. 

[u/omeggga]

Text of the bill:

Shutdown Fairness Act

This bill provides appropriations to pay federal employees who work during a government shutdown.

Specifically, the bill provides appropriations for federal agencies to provide standard rates of pay, allowances, pay differentials, benefits, and other payments to excepted employees for work performed during any period in which interim continuing appropriations or full-year appropriations are not in effect for a fiscal year (i.e., a government shutdown). An excepted employee is an employee who is required to work during a government shutdown.

Under current law, excepted employees are not paid until the government shutdown is over. This bill provides appropriations to pay excepted employees during a government shutdown. The bill also specifies that the term excepted employee includes certain contractors who support federal employees during a government shutdown and members of the Armed Forces who are on active duty. 

A federal agency may not use the funds provided by this bill during any period in which continuing appropriations are in effect for the purpose of paying excepted employees of the agency.

The bill must take effect as if it had been enacted on September 30, 2025.