Thune to keep Senate in Washington until shutdown impasse ends

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate will reconvene Sunday afternoon after a Saturday session failed to materialize any deals to reopen the federal government on the 39th day of the U.S. shutdown.

The rare weekend session underscores the pressure both parties are facing to reopen the government, as food assistance funding is in limbo and airports across the country report delays, but both sides showed little sign of budging from their demands.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), in a Senate floor speech, urged Democrats to pass a “clean” version of a short-term spending bill, while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in a follow-up speech insisted any deal to reopen the government should be tied a one-year extension of public health care subsidies set to expire at the end of th