Full List of Democrats Who Voted Against Paying US Military During Shutdown

The majority of Democrats voted against reappropriating funds to provide payment to U.S. military personnel and essential workers on Thursday in a key vote that could mark a turning point in the standoff between the two parties as the federal government shutdown continues.

The vote failed by a vote of 54 in favor vs 45 against, preventing the bill from reaching the necessary threshold to pass the “Shutdown Fairness Act.” This followed Republicans blocking a bill proposed by Democrats that would have paid all federal workers, members of the military, and federal contractors while also blocking President Donald Trump from attempting mass layoffs during the shutdown.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune changed his vote to “no” before the close of voting so that he could table a motion to reconsider the bill.

Newsweek reached out to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office by email on Thursday afternoon for comment.

Who Voted Against Paying Military Personnel?

Senators John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Jon Ossoff of Georgia, and Rafael Warnock of Georgia voted to pass the reappropriations bill, marking the sole holdouts among the 47 Democrats in the Senate to vote in favor of the bill.

Democrats in the days leading up to the vote had indicated they were unlikely to back the measure, with Republicans using the vote to pressure their rivals into breaking ranks as the government shutdown enters its fourth week – the second longest government shutdown after a 35-day shutdown that ran from December 2018 to January 2019 over funding for the border wall.

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Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, a Republican, said ahead of the vote that it would prove “hard” for Democrats who knew that agreeing to pay certain employees would allow the government to substantially resume operations and significantly weaken any negotiating power the Democrats have.

The Democrats who voted against the bill includes: