The U.S. Senate has once again failed to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government, resulting in the continuation of the federal government shutdown. On October 3, two separate attempts to pass funding measures were unsuccessful. The first attempt involved a House-passed CR that was rejected by a 54-44 vote. In this vote, Senators John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Angus King (I-Maine) sided with Republicans in support of the bill, while Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) joined most Democrats in opposition. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) did not participate in the vote.
A second attempt led by Senate Democrats on a short-term funding bill also failed with a 46-52 vote. A two-thirds majority is required for passage.
The House-passed CR aimed to extend several key health programs until November 21, including Medicare-dependent Hospital and Low-volume Adjustment programs, telehealth and hospital-at-home flexibilities, and provisions under the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act. It also sought to delay Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital cuts that took effect on October 1.
Further legislative action is anticipated in the Senate on October 6 as efforts continue to resolve the funding impasse.
The American Hospital Association will provide updates as more information becomes available.
Information from this article can be found here.
