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How many times did congress vote to open the government and what were the numbers each time
Executive Summary
Congress voted multiple times in late-stage efforts to "open" the government around the shutdowns referenced in the provided materials, but the supplied sources do not present a complete, consolidated list of every roll-call and its tallies; available reporting highlights key Senate tallies such as a 60–40 passage and procedural counts that fell short of the 60-vote threshold [1] [2] [3]. The evidence shows repeated attempts in both chambers — including a string of procedural and substantive votes led by Republican leaders to advance House-passed continuing resolutions and a Senate vote in which eight Democrats joined Republicans — yet the materials lack a single, definitive catalog of every roll-call to fully answer “how many times” and “what the numbers were” for each occasion [4] [1] [3].
1. What the reporting actually claims about votes to reopen the government — clarity and gaps
The assembled analyses report several discrete Senate and House actions tied to reopening the government, but they stop short of enumerating every roll-call vote and its outcome across both chambers. Specific tallies reported include a 60–40 Senate passage of a funding bill that would reopen parts of the government and a 53–43 procedural result that failed to reach the 60 votes needed to advance another Republican proposal, showing both successful and blocked motions [1] [3]. Another recurring theme is the description of repeated attempts by Senate Republican leaders — for example, an effort described as 14 motions by Sen. John Thune to secure Democratic support for a House-approved continuing resolution — which signals frequency but does not equate to a complete vote list because those attempts may include repeated procedural votes, motions to proceed, and failed cloture attempts [3]. The sources thus present important individual vote counts but leave an information gap for a full roll-call history [4] [2].
2. High-profile vote outcomes the sources emphasize — decisive Senate margins and defections
Reporting converges on a few headline vote tallies that shaped the path to reopening: a 60–40 Senate vote that combined most Republicans with eight Democrats to pass a funding measure, and earlier procedural tallies such as 53–43 that reflect the Senate’s difficulty in mustering the 60-vote threshold for some Republican proposals [1] [2] [3]. Analysts note the political significance of Democratic defections — the presence of eight Democrats voting with Republicans in the 60–40 passage — and also point to Republican frustration at repeated failures to convert House-passed measures into enacted law due to Senate filibuster rules and Democratic opposition [1] [4]. These enumerated votes are clearly documented in the provided snippets, and they illustrate that a small number of pivotal roll-calls determined whether a bill would proceed or be blocked, even while the full sequence of votes across both chambers is not enumerated [1] [3].
3. Procedural complexity and repeated attempts — why counting “times voted” is not straightforward
The sources describe a mix of procedural motions, cloture attempts, and final passage votes, which complicates any attempt to produce a simple tally of “how many times Congress voted to open the government.” Senate procedure requires multiple steps to advance legislation: motions to proceed, cloture votes (requiring 60), and final passage votes; the materials reference that multiple attempts (e.g., 14 by a Republican leader) were made to secure support for a House-passed CR, creating ambiguity about whether each was a distinct roll-call or an effort that included voice votes or failed cloture motions [3] [4]. The reporting therefore documents frequency and political maneuvering but does not present the full procedural roll-call record; compiling an authoritative count would require consulting official Senate and House roll-call records for each relevant date to capture every motion and final passage [4] [2].
4. Divergent framings and potential agendas in the coverage — what to watch for
The materials show different emphases: some pieces focus on obstacles and internal GOP disagreements in the House that could prevent reopening despite Senate action, while others highlight Senate defections and narrow margins that made reopening possible [5] [4] [1]. These framings signal possible agendas: coverage stressing Republican dysfunction highlights intra-party risk, whereas pieces emphasizing bipartisan defections can underscore cross-party pragmatism or Democratic acquiescence. Both perspectives are factual within the quoted tallies, but readers should note the selective focus — the sources choose which votes to spotlight (e.g., a successful 60–40 passage versus unsuccessful 53–43 procedural counts) rather than presenting a full roll-call ledger [5] [1] [3].
5. What is needed to give a definitive, itemized answer — where to look next
To produce an exhaustive answer listing “how many times” Congress voted to open the government and the exact tally for each, consult the official Senate and House roll-call records for the shutdown period and the dates referenced by these reports; those records will list each motion, cloture vote, and final passage with exact vote totals. The provided reporting supplies several authoritative fragments — a 60–40 Senate passage, procedural 53–43 tallies, and repeated attempt counts like 14 motions by leadership — but lacks a consolidated roll-call compilation; retrieving the chamber journals or clerk’s roll-call pages would close that gap and produce the itemized list the original question seeks [1] [3] [4].