Key Highlights
- Supermajority Blocked: The bill required at least 60 votes in the 100-member Senate due to filibuster rules but failed on a 50-44 vote.
- Bipartisan Support – Not Enough: Three Democrats joined most Republicans in voting “aye.”
- Majority Leader’s Tactical ‘No’: Senate Majority Leader
John Thune
(R-S.D.) voted “no”—a move aimed at keeping Pentagon funding negotiations alive.
Sticking Points
- Controversial Provisions: The bill included several “poison pills” added by the House:
- Reducing aid to Ukraine
- Rolling back vaccine requirements for military service
- Restrictions on abortion access for service members
- Democratic Concerns: Prominent Democrats, including Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), opposed the bill over these provisions.
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) was quoted:“I will vote yes on a military appropriations bill to pay our men and women in uniform, but if it has all of the House poison pills, no.”
What Comes Next?
The failed vote followed the Senate’s inability to move forward on a broader government funding bill. With no resolution, both military and civilian federal employees risk missing pay during the ongoing shutdown.