EXCLUSIVE — Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is preparing the next “rifle shots” in a fight over government funding, previewing to the Washington Examiner that the Senate could vote on bills to pay troops and air traffic controllers as soon as next week.

In a Wednesday interview at the Capitol, Thune signaled he will continue bringing stand-alone bills that fund segments of the federal workforce, a strategy designed to pressure Democrats to back off their shutdown demands.