Senate votes to approve ‘Bat Week’; no vote to end shutdown

By Thérèse Boudreaux
The Center Square

U.S. senators have remained locked in a government shutdown fight for nearly a month, but unanimously agreed Wednesday to designate Oct. 24 to Oct. 31, 2025, as “Bat Week.”

A vote to reopen the government is not scheduled for Wednesday.

The government has remained shuttered since Oct. 1, when Democratic senators refused to provide the necessary votes to pass Republicans’ Continuing Resolution, which would extend federal funding levels until Nov. 21.

Democrats say they will lend support only if Republicans promise to renew the pandemic-era expansion of the Obamacare Premium Tax Credit, set to expire Dec. 31.

Republican leaders say they are willing to promise a vote on the subsidies, but cannot make guarantees on passage. They have accused Democrats of turning the normally bipartisan government funding process into a “political game.”

Negotiations have essentially died as both sides unsuccessfully wait each other out. Senate Democrats filibustered the House-passed CR for the 13th time Tuesday.

Additionally, all but three Democrats blocked a Republican bill that would have ensured essential federal employees, who are working without pay, receive paychecks during a government shutdown. Democratic leaders argued that easing the pain of the shutdown would cost them “leverage” in government funding negotiations.

In the meantime, tens of thousands of working federal employees, including air traffic controllers, missed a full paycheck Tuesday.

Tens of millions of low-income Americans won’t receive food stamps for the month of November. The IRS has cut back on multiple tax services. Federal loans for hundreds of small businesses have stalled, and the U.S. economy is hemorrhaging an estimated $15 billion per week.

The largest federal employee union, the American Federation of Government Employees, has urged the Senate to pass the CR so that hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers can return to their jobs and receive backpay.

“Unfortunately, shutdowns have become a recurring tactic in Washington. But there is no “winning” a government shutdown,” AFGE president Everett Kelly stated. “It’s long past time for our leaders to put aside partisan politics and embrace responsible government.”