Thune says 'wheels came off' as Republicans mull next shutdown move
Vote to reopen government uncertain after Democratic caucus meeting renewed unity against Republican proposals
By Alex Miller Fox News
Published November 7, 2025 1:50pm EST
Senate Republicans had planned to put the House-passed bill to reopen the government on the floor for a vote again on Friday, but after Senate Democrats signaled that they were willing to hold out longer, that course of action is likely to change.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., opted to keep the chamber in session for a rare Friday vote, with the idea being to put the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) on the floor for a 15th time.
However, after Senate Democrats met behind closed doors on Thursday and exited their meeting with a renewed sense of unity, Thune raised the concern that, "We’ve got to get the Democrats back and engaged."
Bipartisan talks among several Republican and moderate Democratic senators had picked up significantly in the last week, with rays of hope that an end was near that could cut through the fog of the shutdown.
But Tuesday’s election sweep and pressure from progressives and more left-leaning members of the Democratic caucus have possibly tripped up progress in those talks.
"All I know is that the pep rally they had at lunch yesterday evidently changed some minds," Thune said. "I thought we were on a track. We were giving them everything they wanted or had asked for, and at some point, I was gonna say, they have to take yes for an answer, and they were trending in that direction. And then yesterday, everything kind of — the wheels came off, so to speak."
Thune’s remarks came as a flurry of activity was happening behind-the-scenes. The plan was to advance the CR and then add a trio of spending bills in a package known as a minibus, but a series of counteroffers and demands from Senate Democrats have slowed momentum.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/thune-says-wheels-came-off-republicans-mull-next-shutdown-move
