Live updates on government shutdown as Senate prepares to vote again

The Senate’s top Republican indicated Wednesday that he may vote on standalone bills to fund parts of the government, amid an impasse over how to end the shutdown.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told Axios he is “ready” to introduce some appropriations bills, including the defense appropriations bill, which has already passed the House. A source familiar with his comments confirmed Thune’s comments to CBS News.

The Senate is expected to hold procedural votes at noon Thursday on government funding measures, attempting to break the deadlock for the seventh time after the bills fell short of the necessary 60 votes on Wednesday.

Republicans have sought to strip Democrats’ support for a House-passed measure to keep the government funded through Nov. 21, while Democrats have a separate measure to fund the government through October that would also extend health insurance tax credits, which has become Democrats’ main demand in the funding fight.

Republicans have failed to gain new support for their measure since the hours before the lockdown began. And with 53 Republicans in the upper house, Democratic support is needed to advance a measure to fund the government.

Only one Democrat initially crossed the aisle to support the bill in a vote last month. But in the next vote, on September 30, two other senators crossed the aisle to support him. Since then, Republicans have been unable to withdraw additional support from Democrats in two other attempts.