Military pay deadline nears as Senate Democrats again block GOP shutdown plan

Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked Republicans’ plan to reopen the government for the seventh time, as pay deadlines fast approach for the military.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and most members of his caucus have so far shown no signs of breaking with their stance as the shutdown entered its ninth day. Republicans are also unwilling to concede, further entrenching the impasse in the Upper House.

But a deadline that lawmakers must meet to ensure military members receive their paychecks is fast approaching and likely won’t be met unless a deal is reached.

SENATE GOP RESISTS ‘NUCLEAR OPTION’ AS DEM Shutdown Deadlock Deepens

Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., are not yet ready to concede as the shutdown entered its ninth day Thursday. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Lawmakers have until the Oct. 13 deadline to process military salary payments and fund the government or the military will miss its first paycheck. Senate staffers will follow soon after, with their next paycheck scheduled for October 20.

These imminent deadlines, however, have not caused either party to back down.

“I’m concerned that not everyone is getting paid. We need to reopen the government and I think people need to sit down and talk to each other,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. “And so far, the president has been unwilling to speak, the leaders of both houses have been unwilling to speak, and this is the 19th day that the speaker is unwilling to bring the House back.”

The Senate is also expected to have a recess starting next week, which is expected to be canceled. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said whether lawmakers are in town depends on Senate Democrats.

“Well, that’s up to the Democrats, but right now that’s what’s happening,” Thune said.

The positions of both parties remained the same. Senate Democrats want an extension of the expiration of the Obamacare tax credits, and they first want an ironclad deal on those subsidies before giving Thune the votes he needs to reopen the government.

“We Democrats want to end this shutdown as quickly as possible,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “But Donald Trump and the Republicans must negotiate seriously with us to resolve the health care crisis.”

But Senate Republicans are adamant that these conversations and negotiations can only happen after the government reopens. They also want reforms to the COVID-19 relief program, which they say has been inflationary and helped drive higher health premium prices.

SENA DEMOCRATS DEFY WHITE HOUSE WARNINGS, AGAIN BLOCKING GOP BID TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT

Senate Republicans are not ready to take a “nuclear” approach to the filibuster as the government shutdown continues, despite Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., pushing to change the nomination rules earlier this year. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Shaheen and Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., were heavily involved in the bipartisan talks that took place throughout the shutdown. These discussions, however, have only been informal conversations and have not yet progressed to full-fledged negotiations.

“They just want a guaranteed outcome, which we can’t guarantee,” Rounds told Fox News Digital. “Everything has to flow through the process. If they end the shutdown, then we can get back to work on a process that might be, you know, something they feel good about. But at this point in the game, until they end the shutdown, there’s not much we can do.”

Although the positions remain unchanged, the topics of discussion on Capitol Hill have begun to evolve. Republicans are now claiming that Senate Democrats are waiting for their vote to reopen the government until an October 18 “No Kings” rally in Washington, DC.

GOVERNMENT ENTERS DEEPER INTO CLOSURE CRISIS WITH NO DEAL IN SIGHT

The government remained shut down on October 9, 2025 as Senate Democrats continued to demand a deal from President Donald Trump and Republicans to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“The most frustrating thing is the fact that there is clearly a movement on their side, within their leadership team, to keep this going until this left-wing protest happens a week from Saturday,” Rounds said.

Republican leaders in both chambers have also jumped on the date, and it has become a common talking point within the GOP in recent days. Democrats rejected the new messaging strategy.

“They’ve all been instructed, they’re losing. They’re losing this fight,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut. “People know they’re to blame. They’re worried about their bonuses going up, and so Republicans desperately need a new narrative.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Still, Republicans are hoping more members of the Democratic caucus will join them in reopening the government as Thune continues his war of attrition-style plan of bringing the same bill back to the Senate again and again.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said many Senate Democrats aren’t up for re-election for “walking the plank like I’ve done many times” to help the GOP and fund the government.

“And then the discussions begin, simple as that,” he said. “And why the hell should we give them any cover or political influence, when they should never have – Chuck Schumer should never have led this conference into this kind of quagmire, when all we were asking them to do was fund the government at current levels and do basically what they’ve done before, because they voted for these funding levels before.”