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.
Senator Ron Johnson speaks to members of the media after a bipartisan luncheon, weeks into the continuing government shutdown on Capitol Hill, Oct. 23, 2025.
Kylie Cooper/Reuters
“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
