The government shutdown is entering its fifth week as federal workers cut salaries

Washington is entering week five Government shutdownAnd despite a handful of pay deadlines fast approaching for federal employees, little progress has been made toward turning the lights back on.

The Senate is expected to vote again on the House-passed plan to reopen the government this week but failed to advance a continuing resolution (CR) 12 times.

As before, the legislation – which would reopen the government until November 21 – is expected to fail again. The same dispute that led to the shutdown almost a month ago is still not resolved.

Democrats eye Obamacare deadline as government shutdown enters fourth week

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y. Senate Democrats, led by Mr. (via Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg Getty Images)

Senate DemocratsSenate Minority Leader Leadership Chuck SchumerDN.Y., wants an ironclad deal to extend expiring Obamacare premium subsidies, while Senate Republicans want to address the issue only after the government reopens.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RSD, argued that the Democrats’ position had little to do with the actual premium tax credits or willingness to negotiate.

“This is politics,” he said.

“Well, they want you to believe that’s about it HealthcareHe said on the Senate floor last week. “It’s not. Republicans have made it absolutely clear that we’re willing to discuss healthcare, only with government funding held hostage and not all the federal employees that come with it. So if this is really about healthcare, Democrats will vote for a clean CR as the fastest way to reopen the government.”

In the meantime, the pay cliff for air traffic controllers, military service members and funding for federal nutrition assistance programs is just around the corner.

Air traffic controllers are expected to miss their first full paycheck on Tuesday after being partially paid earlier this month.

A financial disaster during the shutdown sends the GOP scrambling for a new spending plan

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RSD, argued that the Democrats’ position had little to do with the actual premium tax credit. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Senate Commerce, Science and Transport President Ted CruzR-Texas, a bill that would close the funding gap, is expected to be put on the floor for a vote this week. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RSD, has yet to deliver.

Then there is Military Pay Day on October 31. President Donald Trump Earlier this month, crores were disbursed to cover army pay cheques, but that money is not expected to cover this upcoming pay cycle.

Sen. A bill by Ron Johnson, R-Wis., to pay the military and “excluded” federal workers — meaning federal workers who are currently working during the shutdown but are not being paid — was blocked by Senate Democrats last week.

However, Johnson and Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-MD. There is an attempt to bring a new version of the bill to the floor. Van Hollen last week tried to get his own bill to pay federal workers and troops on the floor but was blocked in the process.

Van Hollen, like other Senate Democrats, warned that Johnson’s version of the bill would give Trump and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ “a blank check on who they’re going to send home and who they’re going to punish for not paying.”

Schumer blocks 12th GOP bid to reopen government as Trump says Democrats ‘lost the deal’

Washington is entering the fifth week of a government shutdown, and despite a handful of pay deadlines for federal employees, little progress has been made toward turning the lights back on. (Getty Images)

“None of our federal employees, service members or contractors deserve to be punished for this government shutdown,” Van Hollen said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “I’m working to make sure they are not.”

And on Nov. 1, the opening day of open enrollment for Obamacare, funding for food stamps, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is expected to run out.

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats suffered another blow to their united front as the shutdown began with Democratic political action committees and outside allies donating millions of dollars to candidates.

The American Federation of Government EmployeesDemocrats, the nation’s largest union of federal employees representing more than 800,000 workers, called for Republicans to swallow the CR clean to reopen the government.

Everett Kelly, president of the grand union, said in an open letter Monday that the best way to “immediately reopen the government under a clean continuing resolution that allows continued debate on the big issues” and to ensure that every federal employee who is working or laid off under the shutdown gets back pay.

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“Because when the people who serve this country stand in line at food banks after losing another paycheck because of this shutdown, they’re not looking for a partisan spin,” Kelly said. “They’re looking for wages they’ve earned. It’s a national disgrace that they’re being cheated out of this.”

“It is high time our leaders put aside partisan politics and embrace responsible government,” he added. “A strong America needs a functioning government—one that pays its bills, honors its commitments, and treats its employees with respect by paying on time.”