The federal government shut down on Oct. 1, and Senate Democrats continue to block Republicans’ clean, short-term, nonpartisan funding bill. The consequences of this Democrat shutdown are real, and Americans are paying the price.

While the Trump administration is making remarkable efforts to mitigate the impact of a government shutdown, a prolonged shutdown means canceled flights, halted paychecks for U.S. service members, paused telehealth services, higher unemployment, and slower economic growth.

THUNE TEES UP DEMOCRATS’ NEXT SHUTDOWN TEST WITH PENTAGON FUNDING VOTE

As the shutdown drags on, paychecks and critical services for Americans are being disrupted. Hardworking Americans have been laid off, furloughed, or forced to work without pay. The paychecks for more than 1 million active-duty service members could be affected. In my home state of Texas, over 230,000 civilian federal employees and military personnel may be affected.

Funds for food assistance programs and........

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