Longest Government Shutdown in U.S. History: Senate Democrats Continue to Block: LIBRE

Today marks a grim milestone for the American people: as of November 5, 2025, the federal government shutdown has entered its 35th day officially the longest in U.S. history. The responsibility for this unacceptable outcome lies squarely with Senate Democrats, who have repeatedly voted against the House-passed, GOP-led stopgap funding measure.

According to the roll call, despite the urgency and massive disruption to federal employees, essential services and American families, Senate Democrats refused to act.

Democratic Senators including Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and independent Senator Angus King (who caucuses with the Democrats) broke ranks to support the bill, but far too many of their Democratic colleagues dug in.

This shutdown is not simply a budget fight; it is a deliberate refusal to reopen government while major Democratic-policy priorities are held bargaining chips. Meanwhile:

Thousands of federal workers remain downsized or working without pay, families across America face blocked services, and programs providing critical care and oversight are operating in limbo.

42 million Americans risk losing their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. While SNAP has issues with fraud and abuse that must be addressed, millions of vulnerable Americans including the elderly, disabled, low-income families, and children depend on it to put food on the table.

Military and federal law enforcement families are being asked to make yet another sacrifice, serving and protecting the homeland without pay during the shutdown.

Small businesses and communities that depend on stable government functions suffer most when Washington fails to provide certainty. 

The LIBRE Initiative condemns this paralysis and warns that the longer this shutdown drags on, the greater the damage to the economy, to families, and to faith in responsible governance.

We call on Senate Democrats to stop playing politics with the livelihoods of millions and to vote immediately to reopen the government. The American people can no longer wait for partisan theater. House Republicans passed the clean stopgap funding resolution months ago. The ball is now in the Democrats’ court.