Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is throwing a curveball into the shutdown fight as he plans to bring a full-year spending bill for the Pentagon to the floor on Thursday, effectively daring Democrats to oppose it as part of their push to keep health care at the forefront of the impasse.

The Senate failed to pass a government funding measure for the ninth time on Wednesday afternoon as the federal government stayed closed for a 15th day.

Conservative commentator Jesse Kelly was among those who criticized Thune, writing in a post: “REMINDER: South Dakota is over 60% Republican. They could send the most hardcore anti-communist to the senate. Instead, they send this loser over and over again because the red state GOP primary voter is the dumbest, laziest voter in America.”

Government shutdown continues as Senate Democrats demand Obamacare tax credit extension before supporting Senate Republicans' plan to reopen the government.

A handful of Senate Republicans are wrestling with the impending expiration of health insurance subsidies that are the primary sticking point in the government shutdown standoff that entered its 13th day.

Senate GOP leaders are looking to pressure Democrats to make progress on full-year spending bills that would fund the Pentagon and a handful of other federal agencies amid the government shutdown.

A Senate Republican wants to add stricter English proficiency requirements for truck drivers after an Obama-era rule change loosened standards. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., plans to introduce legislation that would add more stringent English proficiency rules for commercial truck drivers and an enforcement mechanism that would deem them "out-of-service" should they not meet the proposed standards.

Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills announced that she will be running for U.S. Senate in an effort to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Senate Democrats rejected a Republican bill to end the shutdown for the eighth time as President Donald Trump says he’ll reveal a list on Friday of “Democrat programs” that will shut down permanently.