Thune, GOP reject pushing 'rifle-shot' government funding bills during shutdown

Some lawmakers are getting anxious to fund key programs and pay federal workers as the shutdown drags on, but even so, most Senate Republicans argue that the best way to ensure paydays and benefits is to reopen the government.While Senate Republicans and Democrats are entrenched in a stalemate that has seen the shutdown drag into its 29th day, a handful of lawmakers has pushed bills that would pay the military, working federal workers and air traffic controllers, and fund federal food benefits.One of those bills, from Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., got a chance on the floor but was blocked by Senat