1 of 4 | The Senate has a vote scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
Oct. 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate failed to pass a stopgap bill to fund the federal government for the next six weeks, leading the country into a seventh day of shutdown.
A bill already passed by the U.S. House to fund the government through late November, as well as another offered by Democrats to fund the government through the rest of October and make health insurance subsidies permanent, again failed to garner the needed 60 votes for approval.
Lawmakers needed to reach a supermajority, or 60 votes, to pass a continuing resolution that would fund the government. The Senate's 53 Republicans need the votes of seven Democrats to reach that supermajority.
The final vote on the Republican bill 52 ayes to 42 nays, with two Democrats and an independent voting for the spending plan and one Republican opposing it.
