LIVE UPDATES

Government shutdown updates: Senate vote marks step towards ending federal shutdown

The bill advanced by a vote of 60-40.

President Donald Trump on Sunday offered a bit more insight into his proposal that Obamacare subsidies should go directly to Americans' Health Savings Accounts to pay for health care rather than sending funds to insurance companies through the Affordable Care Act.

Meanwhile, the Senate voted Sunday night on a test vote that would fund the government through Jan. 31 and end the 40-day government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history. Enough Democrats voted to pass the bill.

And the Department of Agriculture in a late Saturday night memo ordered states to reverse any steps they've taken to issue SNAP benefits and threatened to impose financial penalties on states that do not “comply” quickly.


0

'A lousy, terrible, horrible idea': What Republicans say about Dem shutdown proposal -- and what happens next

Emerging from a closed-door conference meeting, Republican senators on Friday were palpably angered by Democrats' offer to allow government funding to advance if it included a one-year extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits.

It's clear that the offer, which Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democrats made in a series of floor speeches earlier Friday, is going over like a lead balloon.

"A lousy, terrible, horrible idea," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said departing that meeting. "We're not going to continue for a year to load up insurance companies with taxpayer dollars to get an inferior outcome."

"There's just no way that the Democrats are coming out here and pounding their chest and playing tough guy," Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said. "It's outrageous."

So what's next?

The Senate will be in session on Saturday, starting at noon but it's not clear what, if anything, senators will vote on. At this point in time, there are no votes scheduled.

Earlier, Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who sits on the appropriations committee, said Republicans were aiming to hold a vote on a short-term funding bill this weekend that would include the three full-year spending bills within it -- if Democrats allow it advance.

Said Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla.: "I don't know what we do this weekend, because we've got to have stuff to vote on. And either they give unanimous consent, or we go through this long, drawn out debate process."

After the Senate adjourned Friday evening, some senators appeared to be preparing to depart D.C.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin


Order to fully fund SNAP remains after appeals court denies Trump administration request; states begin issuing benefits

An appeals court has denied the Trump administration's request to lift a judge's order that it fully fund SNAP for November, as several states have already begun issuing benefits.

As of Friday evening, nine states said they had begun processing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits: Kansas, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Vermont, New Jersey, Minnesota, Connecticut, New York and North Carolina.

Read more.


Senate fails to advance bill to pay federal employees working during shutdown

The Senate failed to advance a bill Friday evening that would’ve paid federal workers who are actively working during the shutdown.

It would have needed 60 votes to advance. The measure, introduced by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., failed by a vote of 53-43.

Democratic Sens. Ben Ray Lujan, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock voted with all Republicans to advance the bill. All other Democrats voted against it.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin


Senate votes on bill to pay federal workers after several heated speeches

The Senate began voting Friday on a bill led by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., that aims to pay federal workers who are currently reporting to work amid the shutdown. The vote delayed due to well over an hour of floor debate.

The GOP speeches seemed partially inspired by frustration over the Democratic funding offer made earlier Friday. There was noticeable irritation among those who spoke on the need to end the shutdown and pay federal workers.

Johnson, in a speech ahead of the vote, urged Democrats to back his bill, which will need 60 votes to advance when it is finally called.

"Think about what your vote means to people that don't want to be used as pawns," Johnson said.

Johnson yielded time to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee. Cruz, in his remarks, expressed the strain that the lack of pay for air traffic controllers is putting on those airlines and the flying public.

"Yesterday I had a conversation with the administrator of the FAA. It was chilling," Cruz said.

"God, I hope it literally doesn't take planes falling out of the sky," Johnson said. "Tonight you can continue your shutdown or you can vote to pay the air traffic controllers so that is far less likely. If you vote no, and God forbid it actually happens, can you live with yourself?"

Ahead of the vote Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., gave a speech reiterating his concern that the bill "uses federal employees as pawns" and gives the administration too much discretion about how funds are used.

Still, the frustration was palpable.

"Are the Democrats deaf? Do they not hear from the people that they are putting in these situations? This is their shutdown!" Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., nearly screamed on the Senate floor.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin