Senate to vote on full-year funding for military, veterans affairs and SNAP to end record shutdown

WASHINGTON — The Senate will vote on full-year funding bills for the US military, veterans affairs and food stamp benefits, among other spending items, in the latest bid by Republicans to lure centrist Democrats into voting with them to end the record-breaking government shutdown, The Post has learned.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told GOPers in a closed-door meeting Thursday that the funding provisions for the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Agriculture will be tacked on as an amendment to the stopgap measure already rejected 14 times by all but three Democrats.

That’s kept it from clearing the 60-vote filibuster in the upper chamber — despite Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Angus King (I-Maine) joining with Republicans in voting for the so-called “clean” continuing resolution that would fund the government at current levels until Nov. 21.

The revised bill, which also includes full-year spending to operate the legislative branch, will extend funding for other sectors of the government beyond that November date, though it’s unclear whether that will be pushed into next year.

It would have to secure five more Democratic votes to pass, so long as the trio of Democratic defectors back it, along with every Senate Republican. Then the House would have to reconvene for another vote to send it to the president’s desk.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) groused to reporters Thursday that the funding fiasco — which has forced federal employees to work without pay, caused flight delays and cancellations and prompted even some unions to lash out at Democrats — has been something of a “goat rodeo.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Kennedy fumed of the 37-day shutdown, surpassing the previous 35-day record notched during President Trump’s first administration.

Thune said in a floor speech that his conference was just “waiting for Democrats to take ‘yes’ for an answer” after having offered to also consider at a later date legislation extending health care subsidies set to expire at the end of this year.

With the exception of four congressional Democrats, every member of their party in Congress rejected the funding bill, forcing the shutdown on Oct. 1 — in large part, Schumer and others claimed, because it didn’t include the provisions for the Affordable Care Act subsidies.

It’s unclear whether Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will exert pressure on moderates in his caucus to vote it down, as he was accused of doing earlier Thursday by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

“I can tell you honestly, I’m less optimistic this morning than I was yesterday because we were hearing that there were some common-sense centrist Democrats who were talking to Republicans,” Johnson told reporters.

“But what I understand is that Chuck Schumer has pulled them back from that and that they’re being instructed and told they can’t go there.”

Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), both of whom are not seeking re-election, were reportedly whipping their colleagues to support a compromise funding bill with Republicans, The Hill reported.

Schumer indicated in his floor speech Thursday that Trump was “clearly feeling the pressure to bring this shutdown to an end,” with Republicans getting a shellacking in key 2025 state and local contests.

“I have good news for the president: Meet with Democrats, reopen the government, fix the ACA crisis,” the Senate Democratic leader said. “That’s the best way to put this crisis behind us.”