WASHINGTON — The Senate edged closer to a vote on legislation to end the government shutdown on Monday after a small group of Senate Democrats broke a 40-day stalemate late Sunday evening. These Democrats voted with Republicans to move forward with reopening the government.
It remains unclear when the Senate will hold final votes on the bill, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed hope that passage would take “hours not days.” “The American people have suffered for long enough. Let’s not pointlessly drag this bill out,” Thune said as the Senate convened Monday morning.
The legislation still needs to clear the House before the government can officially reopen. Speaker Mike Johnson urged lawmakers to start returning to Washington “right now,” given travel delays, but said he would issue an official notice for the House’s return once the Senate passes the legislation.
“We have to do this as quickly as possible,” Johnson said at a news conference. He has kept the House out of session since mid-September, when the chamber passed a bill to continue government funding.
After weeks of negotiations, moderate Senate Democrats agreed to reopen the government without a guaranteed extension of health care subsidies. This decision angered many in their caucus, who have demanded Republicans negotiate on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits that expire January 1.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) promised a mid-December vote on the subsidies but made no guarantees about its outcome. The final procedural vote to advance the bill was 60-40.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York voted against moving ahead with the package, along with most of his Democratic colleagues. “We will not give up the fight,” Schumer said, adding that Democrats have now “sounded the alarm” on health care.
Still, an end to the shutdown could be delayed by days if any senators object and prolong the process. Thune is also addressing concerns within the Republican conference about individual provisions in the spending bills. For instance, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul threatened to object to a provision championed by his state colleague, former GOP leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, that prevents the sale of certain hemp-based products. Paul is seeking an amendment to remove this language before the final vote.
President Donald Trump expressed support for the agreement Monday, stating, “We’re going to be opening up our country very quickly.”
### Five Democrats Switch Votes
A group of three former governors—New Hampshire Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, along with Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine—broke the six-week stalemate Sunday by agreeing to vote to advance three bipartisan annual spending bills and extend remaining government funding until late January.
The legislation includes a reversal of the mass firings of federal workers conducted by the Trump administration since the shutdown began on October 1. It also protects federal workers against further layoffs through January and guarantees they will be paid once the shutdown ends.
In addition to Shaheen, King, and Hassan, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia—home to tens of thousands of federal workers—also voted in favor of moving forward. Other Democrats who voted yes include Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, and Nevada Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen.
The moderates had expected a larger number of Democrats to join them, as 10–12 Democratic senators had been part of the negotiations. However, only five ultimately switched their votes—the exact number Republicans needed. Notably, King, Cortez Masto, and Fetterman had already been voting to open the government since October 1.
The agreement encompasses bipartisan bills crafted by the Senate Appropriations Committee to fund segments of the government, including food aid, veterans programs, and the legislative branch, among others.
### Democrats Call the Vote a “Mistake”
Schumer, who faced backlash from his party in March for voting to keep the government open, said he could not “in good faith” support the measure after a more than two-hour meeting with his caucus on Sunday.
Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucuses with the Democrats, decried giving up the fight as a “horrific mistake.” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) agreed, noting that voters who overwhelmingly supported Democrats in last week’s elections are urging them to “hold firm.”
House Democrats quickly criticized the Senate decision. Texas Rep. Greg Casar, chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called a deal that doesn’t reduce health care costs a “betrayal” of millions of Americans relying on Democrats to fight for them.
Yet some gave Schumer a nod of support. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who had criticized Schumer in March after his vote to keep the government open, praised him on Monday and expressed confidence in his leadership throughout the shutdown.
“The American people know we are on the right side of this fight,” Jeffries said Monday, pointing to Tuesday’s election results.
### Health Care Debate Ahead
It remains uncertain whether the two parties will find common ground on health care subsidies ahead of the promised December vote in the Senate. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he will not commit to bringing the issue up in his chamber.
On Monday, Johnson reiterated that House Republicans have always been open to voting to reform what he called the “unaffordable care act,” but again did not specify if they would vote on extending the subsidies.
Some Republicans have expressed openness to extending the COVID-19-era tax credits as premiums could dramatically increase for millions of Americans. However, they also seek new eligibility limits for these subsidies and insist that tax funding for the plans should be routed through individuals.
Other Republicans, including Trump, have used the debate to renew longstanding criticism of the ACA, calling for it to be scrapped or overhauled.
https://www.phillytrib.com/senate-inches-closer-to-vote-on-government-shutdown-deal/article_ab1e0940-4797-4551-bdb7-a2c09cef64a0.html