The U.S. Senate edged closer to ending the 40-day government shutdown after a bipartisan group of Senate Democrats joined Republicans to advance a stopgap funding bill late Sunday.
The funding bill would reopen the government through January 30, 2026, providing a temporary solution while longer-term negotiations continue.
The big picture: Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed hope that the final Senate vote on the legislation will occur quickly, saying it should take “hours not days,” aiming to minimize additional hardship for Americans.
- Despite Senate progress, the bill must still pass the House of Representatives before it can become law and officially reopen the government.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson urged members to return to Washington immediately to prepare for voting on the shutdown deal, citing travel delays and the urgent need to act quickly.
- Johnson has kept the House out of session since mid-September after the chamber passed its own government funding bill which had stalled in the Senate.
Go deeper: The legislative package includes a reversal of mass federal worker firings that occurred amid the shutdown and promises protections against further layoffs through January, ensuring federal workers receive their back pay once the government reopens.
- The Senate vote to advance the bill was 60-40, fulfilling the exact number of votes Republicans needed, with five Democrats breaking from their party to side with the move.
- The five moderate Democrats who voted to move forward were Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Independent Angus King of Maine (who caucuses with Democrats), Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada.
- Other senators who have supported reopening the government since early in the shutdown, including John Fetterman (PA) and Jacky Rosen (NV), also backed the measure.
- Still, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer led the opposition within his caucus, arguing the deal failed to guarantee the renewal of health care subsidies tied to the Affordable Care Act that expire January 1, which remains a key sticking point.
- Schumer called the vote a warning to Republicans that Democrats continue to fight for health care protections and vowed, “We will not give up the fight.”
- Progressive Democrats, including Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Greg Casar, condemned the Senate’s deal as a betrayal for failing to address rising health care costs.
