Senate plots permanent end to government shutdowns with bipartisan push

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., join 'The Faulkner Focus' to discuss the failed vote to pay federal workers amid the government shutdown as they enter their first week without pay. FIRST ON FOX: The Senate is taking another step to prevent government shutdowns, this time to stop them from happening altogether. It’s a move that comes after Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., successfully changed the Senate rules to prevent lawmakers in the upper chamber from being paid during shutdowns — a play designed to ensure that senators feel the same pain as federal workers during future closures. But Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., are taking things a step further to outright prevent government shutdowns from ever happening again. SENATE TAKES MAJOR FIRST STEP TO PREVENT FUTURE SHUTDOWN