(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Senate on Tuesday (November 4) voted for the 14th time to reject the House-passed short-term government funding bill, guaranteeing that the ongoing shutdown will enter record-breaking territory. The measure, which needed 60 votes to advance, failed 54–44, extending a spending impasse that has already paralyzed federal operations.

Three senators - Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), and Angus King (I-Maine) - broke ranks to support taking up the measure, while Rand Paul (R-Ky.) opposed it. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) missed the vote.

Democrats demand negotiations on health care

Senate Democrats once again voted down the Republican-backed bill, insisting that President Donald Trump must negotiate over expiring health care tax credits before they agree to reopen the government.

Shutdown impacts

As the shutdown drags on, its economic and social toll is becoming clearer. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers remain unpaid, with many turning to food banks. Flight delays are mounting due to staffing shortages among air traffic controllers and TSA agents.

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Meanwhile, 42 million Americans relying on SNAP food benefits will receive only about half their monthly support in November. The Trump administration had planned to halt federal SNAP funding entirely starting Saturday, but a federal judge ordered the Agriculture Department to use emergency funds to keep the program running.

Record-breaking shutdown looms

If the shutdown continues into Wednesday, it will surpass the 35-day closure during Trump's first term - the longest in US history. That 2018–19 shutdown stemmed from a standoff over Trump's demand for border wall funding, which Democrats refused to support.

The current House-passed bill would fund the government through November 21, but given the stalemate, Congress will need to extend the deadline again.

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