The government shutdown continues with no end in sight. On Thursday Republicans attempted to pass a bill that would pay federal employees, military members and contractors who have continued to work during the shutdown.
But that measure, known as the Shutdown Fairness Act, was also subject to the 60-vote threshold for passage and Democrats voted it down.
That bill, proposed by Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Todd Young, R-Ind., failed in a 54-45 vote.
Only three Democrats, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia, voted with Republicans.
As reported by AFN, some lawmakers and political observers have suggested that the Republicans ditch the filibuster and reopen the government with a simple majority.
Gary Bauer, the chairman of the Campaign for Working Families, thinks that’s the wrong move.
"I think it would be a terrible mistake. To get rid of what's called the nuclear option if they did that, then it’s not if but when the Democrats get a 51-seat majority in the Senate again and a Democrat president, they will do every nightmarish thing we can possibly imagine."
Robert Knight is a conservative columnist for The Washington Times. He thinks Senate Majority Leader John Thune should keep the option on the table.
"The best idea may be for Majority Leader Thune to just say look we're using the nuclear option the way Harry Reid did when the Democrats were running things and just go ahead and pass on a majority vote. The idea that somehow if the Republicans do this, gosh, down the road, the Democrats might do it, they've already shown they're willing to do that. So, I don't know what they're afraid of."
Thune has been steadfast in refusing to ditch the filibuster, so the end of the shutdown appears nowhere in sight.
