Senate to vote on paying some federal workers as shutdown hits Day 23

(WASHINGTON) — There’s going to be a different sort of government funding vote on Thursday as the ongoing shutdown reaches in 23rd day.

The Senate on Thursday will vote on a bill put forward by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson called the “Shutdown Fairness Act.” While the bill would not end the shutdown, it would allow some federal employees to get paid.

Johnson’s bill would provide appropriations to pay the troops and “excepted employees” of federal agencies being affected by the shutdown. That includes employees determined by the Office of Personnel Management to be performing emergency work, or for contractors who provide support to those employees.

Meanwhile Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen said he’d offer an alternative bill to Johnson’s that would pay all federal employees.

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