U.S. Capitol Building. Reuters=Yonhap News.

With the U.S. federal government shutdown now in its sixteenth day, the U.S. Senate voted on the 16th (local time) on a temporary budget bill to restart the government, but it was rejected again.

The temporary budget bill, proposed by Republicans, was rejected in a plenary session of the Senate this morning with 51 votes in favor and 45 against, according to AP and other news outlets.

As Democrats maintained their "opposed" stance, Republicans failed to secure the 60 votes needed for the bill to pass.

This is the tenth time the temporary budget bill has been rejected.

Democrats are sticking to their position that they cannot agree to any budget bill until discussions are held on extending subsidies for the health insurance program 'Obamacare' (ACA).

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized, "The Obamacare crisis looms over everyone's heads, and it seems Republicans are ready to skyrocket people's insurance premiums."

Senate Majority Leader John Cornyn expressed concern over the prolonged shutdown due to the Democratic Party's opposition to the budget bill, stating, "More Americans are earning less pay with each passing day."

Cornyn then suggested that the issue of extending Obamacare subsidies could be put to a separate vote later, but added, "I cannot guarantee the outcome or conclusion."

Given that Republicans control both the Senate and the House of Representatives, it is unlikely that Democrats will achieve their desired outcome even if a bill to extend Obamacare subsidies is put to a vote.

With both sides struggling to find common ground, there are predictions that the shutdown will be prolonged.

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been forced into temporary leave without pay, and the Trump administration has begun large-scale layoffs of public officials, focusing on departments that do not align with its policy priorities, using the shutdown as an opportunity.

The shortage of federal government personnel has led to flight delays, museum closures, and limited operations at national parks, increasing public inconvenience.

The repetitive, almost ritualistic, budget bill votes in the Senate demonstrate how stalemated the situation has become, AP reported.

Yonhap News