By Arpita Ghosh

Copyright timesnownews

Hopes for a quick end to the federal government shutdown dimmed Friday after the Senate again failed to advance a Republican plan to reopen agencies, while President Donald Trump prepared to escalate the standoff with threats of layoffs and deep spending cuts, reports AP. On the third day of the shutdown, senators rejected a GOP-backed funding bill in a 54-44 vote, falling short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. Democrats remained united in opposition, except for three who supported the measure, while Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was the lone Republican to vote no. With each side digging in, the shutdown will continue until at least next week. There are no public signs of talks between the leaders of the two parties. The Senate won’t take any more votes until Monday and the House has cancelled all votes for next week, with no plans to return to Washington until October 14, NBC reported. “I don’t know how many times you’re going to give them a chance to vote no,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., before heading home for the weekend. Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, but Senate rules give Democrats leverage with their 47 seats. Democrats have tied their demands to extending pandemic-era health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, warning that premiums and deductibles will otherwise spike. “Everyone is about to experience dramatically increased costs because of the Republican health care crisis,” said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries. Trump has promised to make the shutdown painful, calling it an “opportunity” to slash federal agencies. His budget chief, Russ Vought, has already frozen billions in infrastructure funds, including $2.1 billion for a Chicago transit project. Federal workers face uncertainty as the Congressional Budget Office estimated 7,50,000 could be furloughed, losing roughly $400 million in wages each day. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., defended the GOP strategy and said Democrats were “playing politics” with Americans’ livelihoods. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that military families are already seeking food aid as paychecks are withheld. “This madness must end,” she said. Behind the scenes, bipartisan senators discussed a possible one-year extension of the health subsidies, though no deal emerged. Thune acknowledged “more productive conversations” were happening privately but stressed Republicans want the government reopened first. “We can’t get to that conversation until we get the government back in place,” Thune said. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News and around the World.