CHARLESTON — A federal government shutdown that began on the first day of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1 has now entered its third week with no signs that the Democratic minority in the U.S. Senate plans to back down from demands for health insurance subsidies being included.

The U.S. Senate voted 51-45 Thursday for H.R.5371, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act. However, the clean continuing resolution (CR) passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 19 to keep the federal government funded at current levels through Nov. 21 failed to receive the 60 votes it needed to be considered by the Senate.

“We are in the third week of the government shutdown and I have voted 10 times to reopen the government in a non-partisan no-strings-attached way,” said U.S. Sen. Shelley Moo

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