Thune Ups the Pressure With Pentagon Bill as Shutdown Drags On

Thune Moves to Break Stalemate

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) plans to bring a full-year Pentagon spending bill to the floor Thursday, a move designed to challenge Democrats as the government shutdown drags into its third week. The proposal would fund the Defense Department through the fiscal year and potentially pressure Democrats to vote for military pay amid their push to prioritize health care and other domestic funding. Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Democrats Hold the Line

Democrats remain nearly unanimous in opposing the GOP’s short-term continuing resolution, which has already failed nine times in the Senate. A tenth vote is expected Thursday. The party argues that temporary stopgaps favor Republican leverage in future negotiations and prefer comprehensive agreements instead. Thune’s full-year bill complicates that strategy, forcing Democrats to decide whether to support the military funding or maintain opposition during the shutdown. Jack Gruber, Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bipartisan Roots, Political Risks

The Defense bill emerged from a bipartisan appropriations process earlier this year, clearing committee 26-3. It includes full military pay funding, which could run short if the shutdown continues. Still, Democrats fear that Republicans may attach unrelated riders if the measure advances. “It seems like it’s a hard vote,” Thune told The Hill on Wednesday. “Because they all say they want a normal appropriations process, and we’re trying to give them one.” Jack Gruber-USA TODAY via Imagn Images

GOP Calls for Progress

Thune said he hopes to “get the appropriations process going either way,” warning that “if we’re sitting around here voting every day and they keep voting to keep the government shut down, we need to be trying to move the needle on some of the other stuff that we need to get done.” Senate Republicans also aim to bundle other funding measures — including for Labor, Health and Human Services, Transportation, and Housing — with the Pentagon bill. Darren Halstead / Unsplash

Democrats Await GOP’s Next Move

Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said they will not decide how to vote until they know what Republicans intend to attach. “We do not know what they’re going to offer yet,” Murray said. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) echoed that sentiment, noting that Democrats “have been shown no hint of bipartisan cooperation or any willingness to put any guardrails around what they plan to do.” Jack Gruber-USA TODAY via Imagn Images

High Stakes for Military Pay

If Democrats block the measure, Republicans are poised to accuse them of endangering upcoming military paychecks. The Trump administration said this week it would use $8 billion in unused research and development funds to cover military salaries temporarily, but those funds could run out within weeks. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said moving full-year appropriations “helps us” but withheld a commitment on her vote. The White House / Wikimedia

House Remains on the Sidelines

In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Wednesday that he will not call members back to vote on the Pentagon bill until the government reopens, expressing skepticism that the Senate measure will advance. “My suspicion is the Democrats are going to play their same political games and stop that cold,” Johnson said, according to The Hill. Jack Gruber-USA TODAY via Imagn Images

Outcome Unclear

As Thursday’s vote approaches, neither side appears ready to yield. The Defense funding effort may either break the impasse — or deepen partisan divisions as both parties brace for public fallout from the prolonged shutdown. Kaboompics.com / Pexels