The Senate on Monday advanced a funding package expected to end the longest government shutdown in US history after a group of Democrats broke with their party and voted with Republicans. The procedural motion passed 60-40, with seven Democrats and one independent joining all Republican senators to advance a compromise that would fund most federal agencies through January 2026. The Senate will next vote on the funding bill itself before it goes to the House.
The agreement does not directly extend the expiring Affordable Care Act premium tax credits that sparked the 40-day impasse, though Senate Majority Leader John Thune pledged a Senate vote on the subsidies later this year. House Speaker Mike Johnson, with support already signaled by Donald Trump, urged House members to return from an extended recess for a prompt vote and quick delivery to the president’s desk.
The continuing resolution would fund government operations at current levels through January 2026 and include three year-long provisions for programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the USDA and FDA, and for legislative branch operations. It also contains language to stop mass federal firings and to reverse dismissals made during the shutdown, prohibiting additional workforce reductions until the end of January, and guaranteeing back pay to furloughed employees who missed paychecks.
Proponents said reopening the government was urgent. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said he would abide by the deal and praised it as “very good.” The eight senators in the Democratic caucus who helped craft the compromise have faced fierce backlash from party leaders and activists for not securing healthcare concessions they sought; they say they secured a commitment to take up a healthcare bill by mid-December. Senator Jeanne Shaheen defended her vote as the best available option to reopen the government.
Critics noted there is no assurance a separate Democratic healthcare bill would clear the Republican-controlled House. Republicans rejected an amendment from Senator Tammy Baldwin to extend ACA premium tax credits for one year. Johnson said he would not guarantee a House vote on the subsidies, calling the process “deliberative.”
The vote comes as hundreds of thousands of federal workers were furloughed without pay, millions faced potential losses in food assistance, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned of unprecedented strain on air traffic controllers and possible further travel disruption unless the government reopens. Calls for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to resign surfaced in some quarters despite his vote against the deal and public criticism of its terms.
