After more than a month of paralysis, the Senate finally cleared the main procedural obstacle that had kept the federal government shuttered for 40 days, voting late Sunday night to advance a bipartisan compromise to restore operations.
By a 60-40 margin, lawmakers agreed to break the filibuster and move forward on a temporary spending measure funding the government through January 30, 2026, along with a “minibus” package that reinstates full food stamp benefits. Eight Democrats and one Independent who caucuses with them joined Republicans to push it past the procedural hurdle.
Those Democrats were Dick Durbin of Illinois, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and Independent Angus King of Maine. On the GOP side, every senator supported the measure except Rand Paul of Kentucky, who voted no.
While the procedural victory was hailed as a turning point, the end of the nation’s longest-ever shutdown isn’t immediate. Lawmakers still must navigate several potential stumbling blocks before the final vote, and the House of Representatives will have to sign off on the same legislation before federal agencies can reopen.
Paul’s objection centers on the bill’s ban on hemp sales, while some Democrats angered by the compromise have signaled they may slow things down with additional procedural motions. Still, few expect those hurdles to stop the bill altogether.
Progressives erupted in frustration over the weekend, blasting the agreement for failing to secure concrete promises on their health care priorities. “It now appears that Senate Republicans will send the House of Representatives a spending bill that fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), condemning the plan while carefully avoiding direct criticism of the Senate Democrats who crossed the aisle.
“We will fight the GOP bill in the House of Representatives, where Mike Johnson will be compelled to end the seven-week Republican taxpayer-funded vacation,” he added.
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) was even more direct, declaring, “If this is the so-called ‘deal,’ then I will be a no. That’s not a deal. It’s an unconditional surrender that abandons the 24 million Americans whose health care premiums are about to double.”
Other Democrats were equally incensed. Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta warned, “Any ‘deal’ that ends with Dems just getting a pinky promise in return is a mistake.” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) added, “It would be a policy and political disaster for Democrats to cave!”
The months-long deadlock began in September, when Senate Democrats blocked a House-passed stopgap measure, demanding that any new funding bill include extensions of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies and a rollback of Republican-backed Medicaid reforms. Neither of those items made it into the new package advanced Sunday.
Instead, Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota offered Democrats a symbolic concession: a vote next month on extending the enhanced Obamacare tax credits. Thune had originally floated that idea more than three weeks earlier. He made clear, however, that he was not guaranteeing the measure’s passage, and House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana has not pledged to consider it in the House.
As part of the deal, Republicans also agreed to reinstate all federal employees who lost their jobs during the shutdown and provide them with full back pay — a provision meant to calm labor tensions after weeks of furloughs.
The bipartisan package consists of two major pieces: a short-term funding bill to keep the government open until the end of January 2026, and a minibus that finances programs for the military, veterans, and the Department of Agriculture.
The Agriculture funding section is especially significant, as it replenishes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which serves 42 million Americans and had exhausted its funds on November 1. The Trump administration had been using a contingency fund to sustain SNAP temporarily until Congress acted.
Each year, Congress is required to pass 12 separate appropriations bills to finance federal agencies, beginning October 1. When lawmakers fail to agree on time, they rely on temporary measures — known as continuing resolutions — to keep operations running while they negotiate.
Sunday’s deal includes three of those 12 appropriations bills. The temporary extension through January 30 is intended to buy Congress time to complete the rest, ending the historic shutdown — at least for now.
{Matzav.com}