October 7, 2025
Senate rejects both Republican and Democratic spending bills for fifth time
Both spending bills fail for fifth time as shutdown continues
🏢Legislative Process🏛️Government🏥Public Health
On October 6, 2025, the Senate rejected both Republican and Democratic spending bills for the fifth time.
The Republicans' House-passed continuing resolution to fund the government through November 21 failed a cloture vote 52-42, short of the 60 votes needed to cut off debate.
Only Senators John Fetterman and Catherine Cortez Masto, plus Independent Angus King, joined Republicans to support moving to the House CR.
The Democratic alternative, S.2882, failed cloture 45-50 on a motion to proceed. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the Senate would keep voting on the same competing bills over and over.
The Senate held the fifth procedural votes on the competing spending measures on October 6, 2025. The cloture vote on the House CR (H.R. 5371) failed 52-42, not reaching the 60 votes required to end debate and proceed. (Vote No. 545). [
The cloture vote on the Democratic measure (S.2882) failed 45-50 on October 6, 2025. That vote was also a motion to proceed, not final passage. (Vote No. 544). [
Senators 
John Fetterman (D-PA), 
Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Angus King (I-ME) voted with the GOP in the cloture roll calls to proceed to the House CR on Oct. 6. Multiple news outlets and the Senate roll calls list those yeas. [
The Republican CR proposal would have funded the government through Nov. 21 and included specific security funding for branches of government; the Democratic bill sought to extend enhanced ACA premium tax credits that are scheduled to expire Dec. 31, 2025, ahead of open enrollment beginning Nov. 1. [
The Senate can reoffer cloture motions after failures. and the Congressional Record show repeated cloture attempts on H.R. 5371 through October 22, 2025. That is why failing a cloture vote on Oct. 6 did not legally block future attempts. [
Senate Majority Leader 
John Thune said Republicans would keep forcing daily votes on the competing bills. That line and Thune's quoted phrasing are reported in contemporaneous press coverage.
🏢Legislative Process🏛️Government🏥Public Health
People, bills, and sources
John Thune
Senate Majority Leader
Chuck Schumer
Senate Minority Leader
John Fetterman
Senator from Pennsylvania
Catherine Cortez Masto
Senator from Nevada
Angus King
Independent Senator from Maine
What You Can Do
1
civic action
Call your senators
Ask your senators to support a near-term funding bill that protects federal workers and extends ACA premium supports during open enrollment.
2
practicing
Submit public comment to appropriations panels
Provide written testimony or constituent impact statements to the Senate Appropriations Committee before its posted hearing dates.
3
understanding
Check open enrollment timing
Open enrollment for ACA marketplaces begins Nov. 1, 2025. If you purchase coverage, confirm how state and federal plans are setting rates with or without the enhanced subsidies.