Democratic bill to end US government shutdown struggles for Senate approval; voting continues.

Democratic bill to end US government shutdown struggles for Senate approval; voting continues.

The Senate returned to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, marking the first day of a government shutdown, and is taking votes on government funding bills that mirror the failed votes from Tuesday. The Senate's procedural votes are aimed at funding the government, with one vote on the Democrats' funding proposal that includes health care provisions and another on the House-backed Republican stop-gap funding bill.

The Senate failed to pass either bill on Tuesday, and the government shutdown took effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. The procedural votes are expected to fail again, as the Democratic bill needs 60 votes to pass and the Republican bill also requires 60 votes to advance. Both bills have faced opposition due to disagreements over the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune blamed Democrats for the shutdown, stating that Republicans are now looking for additional Democratic support for the Republican clean, short-term funding bill. Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged Republicans to come to the negotiating table and accused Republicans of failing to get enough votes to avoid a shutdown.

The Senate is expected to take votes on other matters in the afternoon and then depart for Yom Kippur. The shutdown has led to concerns about the furloughing of federal employees and potential disruptions to government services. The stock market has also reacted to the shutdown, with retail sentiment toward the SPY ETF worsening to 'bearish' by late Tuesday, while the QQQ ETF continued to attract 'bullish' sentiment.

The Senate is expected to return on Friday and continue negotiations over the weekend. The shutdown has raised concerns about potential job cuts and program reductions, as President Donald Trump warned about "irreversible" and "vast" cuts to jobs and programs.