Two Democrats and one independent senator who caucuses with the Democrats voted once again with Republicans in supporting a GOP-backed government funding bill on Wednesday — breaking ranks as the government shutdown continues.
Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania joined independent Sen. Angus King of Maine in voting for the House-backed Republican stop-gap funding bill on Wednesday. The trio also voted the same way in a Tuesday night vote, which resulted in the government shutdown.
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted against the GOP bill on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The measure needed 60 votes to pass, but failed in a 55-45 vote Wednesday afternoon.
These defections come as Democrats seek to stand up to the Trump administration over extending health care subsidies through the Affordable Care Act, as President Donald Trump has threatened widespread layoffs during the shutdown.
Fetterman said he voted for Republican-backed bill to end the disruptions caused by the shutdown.
“It was wrong when the Republicans did this, and now it’s the same situation. Now it’s actually our party that’s driving it, and I think that’s absolutely the wrong decision,” Fetterman told ABC News.
“It’s a sad day for our nation,” he said in a statement Tuesday night. “I voted AYE to extend ACA tax credits because I support them — but I won’t vote for the chaos of shuttering our government. My vote was our country over my party. Together, we must find a better way forward.”
Similarly, Masto said she voted to support the GOP funding bill to mitigate the negative ramifications that a shutdown engenders upon her constituents. She said in a statement Tuesday that she can’t “support a costly shutdown that would hurt Nevada families and hand even more power to this reckless administration.”
Masto doubled down Wednesday, telling ABC News “this is why I was against a shutdown. I don’t see actually engaging in a shutdown that’s going to harm people, to help people.”
“We need a bipartisan solution to address this impending health care crisis, but we should not be swapping the pain of one group of Americans for another. I remain focused on protecting health care for working families, and I call on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to work together to tackle this problem,” she added.
King said that he voted to support the GOP funding bill because he believes the shutdown is increasing Trump’s power.
“The irony of this vote is, many feel that this was an opportunity to stand up to Donald Trump, to vote no and to fight back,” King said in a statement on Tuesday. “The irony — the paradox is — by shutting the government, we’re actually giving Donald Trump more power. And that was why I voted yes.”
In an appearance on Fox News Wednesday, Paul said the government is fiscally wasteful and needs to reduce how much it spends.
“I think the government should be like any other American family and spends what comes in,” Paul said.
ABC News has reached out to Paul for comment on his vote against the bill.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he is working to get more Democrats to buck party lines to join in on the GOP spending bill.
“As of this morning, critical federal employees including members of the military, Border Patrol agents and air traffic controllers are working without pay,” Thune said on the Senate floor Wednesday. “We need a handful of Democrats to join Republicans to reopen the government and once we do that, then we can talk about the issues that Democrats are raising.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Republicans would have to come to the negotiating table on certain health care issues before they backed a GOP-led bill to reopen the government.