Senate Passes Bill to End Record 41-Day Government Shutdown in 60-40 Vote
The United States Senate voted 60-40 on Monday night to pass a funding bill that would end the federal government shutdown, breaking a 41-day standoff that has become the longest in American history. The shutdown began on October 1 and has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers unpaid, delayed food assistance for millions of families, and snarled air travel across the country.
The breakthrough came after 14 earlier procedural votes on funding legislation went nowhere. This time, eight members of the Senate Democratic caucus broke with their party leadership to vote with Republicans: Dick Durbin of Illinois, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, and independent Angus King of Maine. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer voted against the package, along with most of his caucus.
The deal was brokered over the weekend by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senators Hassan, Shaheen and King, Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, and White House negotiators.
What is in the deal
The package, H.R. 5371, funds most of the government through January 30, 2027, giving lawmakers more time to negotiate full-year spending bills. Three areas receive full-year funding through September 30, 2027: the Agriculture Department, including the Food and Drug Administration; the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction; and the legislative branch.
The deal fully funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which serves about 42 million lower-income Americans, through the end of the fiscal year. It also provides back pay for federal employees and reinstates workers who were laid off during the shutdown.
The one major item missing from the package is health care. The deal does not extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of December. Instead, Senator Thune has committed to holding a Senate vote on extending the subsidies no later than the second week of December, a vote with no guaranteed outcome.
What happens next
The government is not open just yet. The bill still needs to pass the House of Representatives, which has been out of session since September 19, before President Donald Trump can sign it. The House Rules Committee advanced the measure overnight, and the full House is expected to vote on Wednesday evening. Even after the president signs the bill, it will take time to fully reopen federal agencies.
US stocks rallied sharply on Monday as investors bet the shutdown was finally coming to an end, with all three major indexes closing firmly higher.
Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, The New York Times, Fox News.
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