Senators say they expect the government shutdown to drag out until at least the middle of next week, with some fearing it could go even longer.

The Senate rejected votes to reopen the government on Wednesday, and the chamber will be out of session on Thursday in observance of Yom Kippur.

The Senate will return Friday, but few expect the vote that day on the House GOP measure to fund the government to have a different result.

Two Democratic senators and Independent Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) voted for the measure for a second time on Wednesday, but Republicans would need another five Democrats to reach 60 votes — the threshold needed to send the measure to President Trump.

Democrats say the votes won’t be there because Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) has made it clear he won’t support it, and he would face a huge political backlash if he flip-flopped.

“We just voted that down twice. Plainly that’s not going to reopen the government,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who predicted the House GOP will need to craft a different measure to get the government open.

The White House and Republicans, however, have been equally firm that they will not do so.

They argue that the “clean” bill passed by the House, which would continue existing funding through Nov. 21, should be accepted by Democrats. They also argue that in past funding fights, it has been Democrats backing clean measures.

Neither Democrats nor Republicans on Wednesday seemed to be feeling any worry about the shutdown.

Some Republicans, noting the defections of two Democrats and King, who caucuses with Democrats, might have hoped to see more Democrats jumping ship. Instead, the votes were identical, suggesting Democrats are digging in for a longer fight.

If things are going to change next week, it could depend on whether Trump and Republicans or Democrats are feeling the most........

© The Hill