The US Senate Democrats have rejected the Republican temporary funding bill, heightening the risk of a government shutdown

Senate Democrats blocked a Republican stopgap funding bill that would have kept the government funded until late November, leaving the two sides with two weeks for last-minute negotiations to avoid a government shutdown. The Republican-controlled Senate voted 44 to 48, falling short of the 60-vote threshold needed to pass the bill. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the only Republicans to vote no, while John Feitman, the Democratic senator, voted yes. Several Republican lawmakers were absent. The Republican-dominated House narrowly passed the bill earlier in the day, and now party leaders must rework the plan.