The bill, sponsored by Republican Senator Ron Johnson, the Government Shutdown Equity Act, failed to get the 60 votes needed to advance in the Senate. The final vote was 54 to 45.

The Republican bill, by Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, would pay essential workers who still need to go to work during the current government shutdown and any future ones.

“It would forever end this trend of federal workers paying for our dysfunction,” Johnson said.

Democrats, however, argued that the bill gives the president too much discretion to decide who gets paid during the shutdown.

Contestants argued that the legislation is unfair to workers on involuntary leave and could give Cabinet secretaries too much discretion over who gets paid.

Johnson’s bill “is just another tool for Trump to hurt federal workers and American families and keep this shutdown going as long as he wants,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said.

Against this backdrop, given that Congress hasn’t reached a agreement, money for essential services could soon reach crisis point.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday that his message to air traffic controllers during the government shutdown is to “come to work, even if you don’t get a paycheck.”

Payments for federal food and heating assistance could also run out soon, along with funding for Head Start preschool programs, several states have warned.

So Democrats are holding off on negotiations with Republicans as they seek to extend subsidies that began in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic and are set to expire at the end of the year.

• Government shutdown: U.S. debtexceeds $38 trillion for the first time• The federal government shutdown is now the second-longest in U.S. history