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Tuesday marked 21 days of the federal government shutdown–making it the longest full shutdown ever–and there's no end in sight. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he will call a twelfth vote on a continuing resolution to fund the government until November 21, as well as a bill sponsored by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., to pay troops and federal workers who have to keep working during the shutdown. Neither is likely to pass. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., is expected to draft alternative as many Democrats object to Johnson's bill and call for all government employees to receive pay. "This shutdown was not caused by them and none of them should be punished for it. If you selectively say, well, we're just going to pay the people that Donald Trump wants to pay, then Donald Trump will keep the shutdown going forever," Van Hollen said. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said he opposed resuming pay during the shutdown altogether. “It’s called a shutdown. I mean, you start paying everybody, no pressure on anybody from either side. So I think we just leave it as is," Tuberville said. In addition to going without pay, federal workers also risk losing their jobs as President Donald Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought look to use the shutdown as an " " to eliminate parts of the government they view as fraud, waste and abuse. During a with Republican senators and administration officials in the Rose Garden, Trump poked fun at a nickname Vought has earned in the process. Darth Vader, stand up. Does everybody know this is they call him Darth Vader. I call him a fine man, but he’s cutting Democrat priorities and they’re never gonna get them back," Trump said. Democrats, meanwhile, remain steadfast in their push to secure an agreement with Republicans to extend health insurance subsidies expiring at the end of the year as part of the budget. Affordable Care Act Marketplace insurers are expected to increase the median premium by nearly 20%, according to the Peterson Center on Healthcare and the Kaiser Family Foundation. “(Republicans) have complete control of government and they made the decision to shut the government down rather than provide health care to everyday Americans through extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits while at the same time addressing the other aspects of the Republican healthcare crisis," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said. Thune has expressed a willingness to discuss the issue, but only after Congress reopens the government.
