Shutdown Day 6: Senate votes again, with same outcome

The U.S. Senate for a fifth time failed to pass a Republican-backed short-term spending bill on Monday, ensuring the federal government shutdown would stretch into a seventh day.

Despite the partisan impasse over a funding bill, President Donald Trump signaled a willingness to speak with congressional Democrats on the issue of health care. Democrats are demanding a renewal of soon-to-expire health care subsidies in exchange for their support of the stopgap spending bill.

"We have a negotiation going on right now with the Democrats that could lead to very good things, and I'm talking about good things with regard to health care," Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday before the Senate vote.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) both said there were no current talks between Democrats and the White House, as Trump claimed, but said they are open to reviving discussions after a meeting with Trump last week failed to yield a compromise.

Schumer in a statement said: "Trump’s claim isn’t true — but if he’s finally ready to work with Democrats, we’ll be at the table."

Earlier in the day, Jeffries challenged House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to a floor debate over the impasse, as Johnson continues to hold the chamber in recess.

Jeffries in a letter to Johnson said a debate would "give you an opportunity to explain your 'my way or the highway' approach to shutting the government down, when Democratic votes are needed to resolve the impasse that exists."

Johnson, speaking to reporters, rejected Jeffries' invitation, calling it "nonsense."

By Laura Figueroa Hernandez

laura.figueroa@newsday.com@Laura_Figueroa

Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.