Shutdown Fairness Act

On November 7, 2025, the Senate voted 53-43 on a cloture motion to proceed to S. 3012, the Shutdown Fairness Act. The vote fell short of the 60-vote threshold required to invoke cloture and begin formal consideration of the bill. This means the Senate will not move forward with debating the legislation at this time. The vote was largely partisan. All 50 Republicans present voted in favor of proceeding, joined by 3 Democrats. However, 41 Democrats opposed the motion. Because cloture failed, the bill is blocked at the earliest stage of the legislative process—the Senate cannot even begin discussing it on the floor. With the motion rejected, the Shutdown Fairness Act cannot advance unless supporters pursue alternative procedural strategies or secure additional votes to reach the 60-vote threshold in a future attempt.

On October 23, 2025, the Senate voted 54-45 on a cloture motion to proceed to S. 3012, the Shutdown Fairness Act. The vote fell short of the 60-vote threshold required to invoke cloture and allow the Senate to begin formal consideration of the bill. This was not a vote on the bill itself, but rather on whether the Senate would even start debating it. The vote was largely partisan. Fifty-one Republicans supported moving forward, while one Republican opposed. Among Democrats, only three supported the motion while 42 opposed it. Because cloture failed, the Senate cannot proceed to debate the legislation under current rules. With the motion to proceed blocked, the Shutdown Fairness Act cannot advance to the Senate floor at this time. Supporters would need to either secure additional votes or pursue alternative procedural strategies to bring the measure up for consideration.