Senate leader Thune says weekend votes to reopen government are 'unlikely' if Friday's votes fail

Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Thursday told reporters that he does not expect the Senate to vote on reopening the federal government over the weekend if Friday's votes fail.

The Senate is expected to vote on reopening the federal government at 1:30 on Friday, after taking a break on Thursday to observe Yom Kippur. 

The government has been shutdown since Wednesday, after the Senate failed to pass a House-passed stopgap bill that would have kept the government funded through Nov. 21. Senate Democrats have proposed their own continuing resolution but would need strong Republican support for it to pass.

“They’ll have a fourth chance tomorrow to vote to open up the government, and if that fails, we’ll give them the weekend to think about it, and then we’ll come back and vote on Monday,” Thune told reporters, per Politico. 

Thune said he welcomes bipartisan talks among senators about a compromise, but stressed the solution must begin with reopening the federal government.

The standoff is primarily over healthcare funding. Republicans have insisted that Democrats have sought a funding increase to provide health care to illegal migrants, while Democrats have insisted they are fighting to lower healthcare costs for Americans.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that he will not reconvene the House until next week.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.