Murkowski and Paul help defeat House stopgap while Fetterman splits with Senate Democrats

The two Senate roll-call defeats occurred on Sept. 19, 2025. The House CR passed 217-212 but failed the Senate 44-48; the Democratic alternative failed 47-45.

The House CR would have funded the government through Nov. 21, 2025. The GOP text included roughly $88 million in additional security spending, including about $30 million aimed at member protections. The White House separately asked for $58 million to bolster executive and judicial security. The Democratic counterproposal included roughly $186.5 million for security and health provisions.

The Democratic funding alternative would have extended enhanced ACA premium subsidies for roughly 22.8 million Marketplace enrollees, per CBO/KFF projections, and would have reversed recent Medicaid cuts. That measure failed 47-45.

Reporting differs about the House schedule after the vote. Some outlets reported House leaders planned to reconvene Sept. 29. Others reported GOP leaders signaled they might not return until after Oct. 1. The precise House calendar and leaders' intent were reported inconsistently.

Estimates of federal workers affected vary. Analyses and press reports cite roughly 750,000 federal employees who could be furloughed, while unions representing about 800,000 federal workers warned of broad impacts.

Senate sources show Majority Leader John Thune filed procedural motions and left open a possible late-Sep. vote to revisit funding. The Senate Daily Press log documents cloture motions and roll calls tied to that debate.