Is the longest US government shutdown in history finally set to end?

The United States is one step closer towards ending the historic government shutdown. On Sunday (November 9), the Senate passed legislation that could reopen the US government after a 40-day shutdown.

In a procedural vote, American Senators voted 60-40 to move forward on the measure to fund the government and programmes until January 30. This came after a small group of Democrats agreed to back the compromised package.

Let’s take a closer look.

US Senate strikes deal to end govt shutdown

Eight Senate Democratic centrists sided with Republicans on Sunday to help advance the funding deal to reopen the government. Their support came in exchange for a vote next month on extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits that expire January 1.

However, this does not guarantee that these healthcare subsidies will be extended, a major demand of Democrats for nearly six weeks, according to Associated Press (AP).

The subsidies help lower-income Americans pay for private health insurance.

The spending bill also aims to ban federal agencies from firing employees until January 30, 2026. This would hamper Trump’s campaign to cut down the federal workforce.

The agreement includes that federal employees laid off during the shutdown would be rehired and receive back pay.

It also entails a package of a full-year appropriation bill. This will fund parts of government, includes food aid, veterans programmes and the legislative branch.

Democratic Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, both from New Hampshire, along with Senator Angus King, an independent from Maine, brokered Sunday’s deal, Reuters reported, citing a source.

“For over a month, I’ve made clear that my priorities are to both reopen government and extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits. This is our best path toward accomplishing both of these goals,” Shaheen posted on X.

The three former governors agreed to vote to advance three bipartisan annual spending bills and extend the rest of the government funding until late January in exchange for a later vote on extending the Obamacare tax credits.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, along with some Democrats and rank-and-file Republicans, was at the negotiating table to break the shutdown stalemate.

“After 40 long days, I’m hopeful we can bring this shutdown to an end,” Thune said shortly before the vote.

President Donald Trump did not reveal whether he endorsed the deal, but said: “It looks like we’re getting close to the shutdown ending.”

Deal leaves Democrats, Republicans divided

The Sunday spending agreement has exposed fissures within the Democratic Party.

Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York voted against the measure, along with all but eight of his party’s colleagues.

He asserted he could not “in good faith” support it. Schumer said that Democrats have now “sounded the alarm” on healthcare. “We will not give up the fight,” he added.

“Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced,” US Representative Ro Khanna wrote on X. “If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?"

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, said giving up the fight was a “horrific mistake.”

“There’s no good choice, right?” Senator John Hickenlooper said after voting against the measure, but expressed the need to “stand up to this kind of strongman dictatorial approach to governing this country.”

“I voted no just because … piss off, I’m just frustrated,” he said, pledging that Democrats will “use every other tool” to extend ACA subsidies.

However, the group of moderate Democrats who backed the bill have defended their decision.

Senator Shaheen, a retiring Democrat from New Hampshire, said Republicans made clear several times over recent months that “this was the only deal on the table.”

“Now I understand that not all of my Democratic colleagues are satisfied with this agreement, but waiting another week or another month wouldn’t deliver a better outcome,” she said in a news conference, as per CNN. 

Thune also mentioned concerns among three conservative senators — Mike Lee, Ron Johnson and Rick Scott — who delayed voting on the procedural vote as they wanted to discuss the “overall budget process.”

The US shutdown, which entered its 40th day on Sunday, has significantly disrupted flights . US airlines cancelled more than 2,000 flights yesterday and more than 7,000 flights faced delays, AP reported, citing FlightAware.

US Treasury Secretary Sean Duffy told CNN that air travel ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday will be “reduced to a trickle” if the government fails to reopen.

The shutdown has also affected food aid, parks and travel, as well as sidelined federal workers.

What next?

The Sunday deal has paved the way for the reopening of the US government. It will open the doors for considering a legislative package later this week that would fund the Department of Agriculture and the FDA, the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction projects, and the operations of Congress for all of the current fiscal year, reported Politico. 

All other agencies would be funded through January 30.

However, a lot has to fall into place before the shutdown can end. There will be more procedural votes in the Senate, which could be delayed by any lawmaker who is opposed to the deal.

The legislation will then go to the US House of Representatives for approval, before it gets sent to President Donald Trump’s desk for final sign-off.

The House could reportedly return by the end of this week to green-light the deal, if it gets the Senate’s nod in the coming days.

House Democrats remain split over the bill. Some are already planning to “fight” the bipartisan deal.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries , in a statement, said that “we will not support spending legislation advanced by Senate Republicans that fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. We will fight the GOP bill in the House of Representatives, where [Speaker] Mike Johnson will be compelled to end the seven week Republican taxpayer-funded vacation.”

Some centrist House Democrats, however, are in favour of the vote to reopen the government.

Despite the challenges, Sunday’s vote sent a strong message that Senate GOP leaders now have the required support to clear legislation to end the longest shutdown in US history.

Senate Majority Leader Thune said it “remains to be seen” when the Senate will be able to vote on final passage of the measure to end the shutdown, but expressed hope that it will pass early this week.

The compromise legislation will only temporarily fund government programmes. It will fund most government operations until the end of January, wading through the holiday season and a few weeks beyond, noted BBC. 

After that, Congress could return to where it was when government funding ran out at the end of September.

With inputs from agencies