Thune Says Senate Will Vote Tuesday on House-Passed Bill for 14th Time

Speaking on the Senate floor, Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced the chamber will vote on advancing the House-passed government-funding measure yet again on Tuesday, marking what he described as the 14th time the bill has been brought up for consideration.

“Is this the week that Democrats end their shutdown? There are no winners in a government shutdown. There are no winners, but there are plenty of losers.” Thune began his remarks.
“Last week it seemed that Democrats were beginning to acknowledge that their shutdown is having consequences. We even heard Democrats express concerns that Americans were suffering. But when they were given the chance to end all of that suffering, the vast majority of Democrats in this body were perfectly willing to prolong the shutdown and the American people’s pain. The vast majority of Democrats voted once again against a clean continuing resolution.”
“It should not be this hard for a handful of Democrats to support a clean bill that simply reopens the government. It’s a very straightforward proposition.”
“The question, Mr. President, is how long are Democrats going to continue this? Another month? Two? Three? How much suffering is enough for Democrats? Mr. President, the bill sitting right there, we voted on it 14 times already. We’ll get that opportunity to vote on it a 15th time tomorrow, and for the sake of the American people, let’s hope that at least some Democrats can see their way to ending this, and ending it soon.”

Thune appeared to be including not only Senate votes but also the House’s passage of the measure in his tally. According to public data, the Senate has voted to advance the funding bill 13 times without success. Reuters

What’s going on

• The House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund government agencies and prevent a shutdown, but the Senate has repeatedly rejected or failed to advance it. The vote scheduled on Tuesday would give Republicans another chance to break the stalemate. Reuters
• Thune’s insistence on a “clean” CR-—meaning no major policy riders or extra demands attached—reflects the Republican leadership strategy: reopen the government first, then negotiate separate issues later. Thune Senate
• The looming shutdown has real consequences: agencies remain unfunded, federal workers face uncertainty, and the public is increasingly wary of political stalemate. Thune made this case explicitly in his floor remarks. Thune Senate

Why this matters

• Length of shutdown: If no deal is reached, this shutdown could become the longest in U.S. history, surpassing the 2018-2019 closure. Reuters
• Procedural dynamics: Senate rules require 60 votes to overcome a filibuster on most bills. Republicans cannot pass the CR without Democratic support, hence this repeated voting strategy. The Washington Post
• Public perception: Thune’s framing places the onus on Democrats to act—“how much suffering is enough?”—which could impact voter sentiment and media coverage.
• Real-life impact: A protracted shutdown means furloughed workers, deferred services, disruption to federal programs such as SNAP (food assistance), and broader economic ripple effects.

What to watch Tuesday

• Will the Senate motion to proceed to the House-passed CR succeed? If it fails again, it indicates deep resistance persists.
• Which Democrats, if any, will break from party strategy and vote “yes”? Even a small number of defections could trigger movement.
• Will the leadership on either side pivot strategy—e.g., propose amendments, switch to shorter-term CRs, or seek one-off fixes for particular programs?
• How will the public and press respond to further delay? The longer the shutdown drags, the more the narrative could shift to “who is holding up government” rather than “what are the stakes.”

Bottom line

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has confirmed the Senate will vote on the House-passed government-funding measure on Tuesday—counted as the 14th attempt. The logic: reopen government with a clean CR, then sort policy later. Whether Democrats will break ranks and support it remains open. Until that happens, the shutdown—and its cost—continues.

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