On October 1, 2025, the first day of the federal government shutdown, the U.S. Senate attempted to pass a short-term spending bill (Continuing Resolution, CR) to avert the crisis but failed. The Senate held a session that day to vote on a Democratic-proposed CR aimed at avoiding the shutdown, but it was rejected with 47 votes in favor and 53 against. The vote count mirrored the number of seats held by Democrats and Republicans.

The Democratic CR extended the shutdown avoidance deadline to October 31 and included provisions to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), a key demand from Democrats to the government and ruling party. However, all Republican senators voted against it. A subsequent Republican-proposed CR also failed. This CR, which had passed the House on September 19 under Republican leadership, extended the shutdown avoidance deadline by 11 weeks while maintaining current spending levels. The bill required at least 60 votes to pass but garnered only 55 votes in favor and 45 against.

Three Democratic or Democratic-leaning independent senators voted in favor, while one Republican senator voted against the measure. Commenting on the vote, the Associated Press noted that "apparent divisions within the Democratic Party suggest a potential weakening of their negotiating power."With the failure to pass the CR, Congress was unable to halt the shutdown.
CNN reported that the Senate is expected to hold another vote on October 3.

Source: Yonhap News