United States lawmakers have failed to make progress on ending the partial shutdown of the federal government, with Republicans and Democrats blocking rival stopgap spending bills for a second straight day.

The US Senate on Wednesday voted down the duelling proposals by margins that mirrored similar efforts the previous day and that had also failed to avert the shutdown.

Senators rejected the Republican proposal to extend government funding until November 21 in a 55-45 vote.

Two Democrats, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, and one independent, Angus King of Maine, crossed the aisle to support the bill as they had on Tuesday.

The Democrats’ bill, which ties an extension of government funding to about $1.5 trillion in new healthcare spending, failed wit

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