Reuters/CCTV. The U.S. Senate rejected a Republican-backed temporary funding bill on Wednesday in a 54-46 vote, leaving the government shutdown deadlock unresolved.
This marks the 12th time the Senate has voted down the stopgap measure following the onset of the federal government shutdown.
The deadlock stems from deep divisions between Republicans and Democrats on key issues like healthcare-related welfare spending. The Senate failed to pass a new funding bill before the previous fiscal year ended on September 30, causing the government to run out of operating funds and shut down starting October 1.
On Wednesday, U.S. Treasury Department data showed that the total U.S. federal government debt had surpassed 38 trillion dollars for the first time by Tuesday. It has taken just over two months to climb from 37 trillion dollars, a level first reached in mid-August.
Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said that although total national debt may not be the best indicator of fiscal health, other aspects of the U.S. financial situation are equally troubling.
