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US Senate rejects temporary government funding bill
The US Senate has again rejected a temporary government funding bill introduced by the House Republicans, signaling a prolonged government shutdown with no end in sight.
This is the second time in less than 24 hours that Senate lawmakers have voted on the Continuing Resolution bill, which would fund the government through November 21.
The Continuing Resolution is a temporary bill passed by Congress to extend federal government funding for a specified period, at roughly the same spending levels as last year, in lieu of a government shutdown.
The Senate rejected the bill by a vote of 55 to 45, the same result as Tuesday night. The bill required 60 votes to pass.
The vote was largely along party lines, but as was the case on Tuesday, Senators John Fetterman (D-N.Y.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-N.Y.), and Angus King (D-N.Y.) voted with Republicans to support the measure.
Vice President: We'll Have to Lay Off Some Employees
"We'll have to lay off some employees if the government shutdown continues," Vice President J.D. Vance said.
"We don't like that. We don't necessarily want to do that, but we're going to do what we can to ensure the continuity of essential services for the American people," Vance added during a White House press conference.
When asked why the Trump administration expected layoffs when previous shutdowns hadn't led to such an outcome, Vance said, "We haven't made any final decisions yet."
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt confirmed during the briefing that she expected layoffs to begin "very soon," perhaps within "a couple of days."
Russell Vought also warned that funding for the Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program would run out by next week if the government shutdown continues.
