U.S. Senate Democrats veto Republican temporary funding bill, risk of government shutdown increases

Golden Finance reported that U.S. Senate Democrats blocked the Republican provisional appropriations bill that was originally intended to maintain government funds until late November. This has to hold last-minute negotiations within two weeks to avoid a government shutdown. In the Republican-controlled Senate, the vote was 44 votes in favor and 48 votes against, failing to meet the 60-vote threshold required to pass the bill. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the only Republicans to vote against, while Democratic Sen. John Fettman voted in favor. Several Republican lawmakers were absent. The Republican-led House passed the bill by a narrow margin earlier in the day, and now party leaders must re-formulate plans.