Part 7/11:
Legislative Proposals and Partisan Dynamics
As the debate continued, the senator sought unanimous consent to move forward with his bills, advocating that paying government workers and staff is both morally and practically necessary. He explained that his bills would prevent lawmakers from giving preferential treatment—say, paying certain staff or military personnel while leaving others unpaid during shutdowns.
However, members from the opposition voiced objections, arguing that these bills could allow President Trump to selectively pay certain groups, which they considered unacceptable. One senator pointed out that rather than penalize workers, a better approach would be to pass a bipartisan Continuing Resolution (CR) to reopen the government and ensure all workers are paid.