Will 42-day US govt shutdown end today? Eyes on Democrats as House votes on Senate-approved bill

The ongoing US government shutdown —the longest in the country’s history— could end as soon as Thursday as the House of Representatives is set to hold a vote on the bill approved by the Senate. The Republicans have a majority in the chamber.

House members were notified on Monday to return by 4 pm today to the chamber for a possible vote.

If all the procedures are completed, the shutdown could end today itself. But there is a possibility of some delay because of procedures.

For one, the debate on the bill could go on for a while. Then, after the bill’s passage, it would need to be signed into law by President Donald Trump.

Earlier, the Senate on Monday passed a bill to fund the government until January 30, 2026, in a 60-40 vote after seven Democrats and an Independent senator caved in and joined Republicans to pass the bill without any assurance about healthcare subsidies and Medicaid coverage.

The bill includes full funding of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) benefits through the end of September 2026, reverses reductions in federal workforce by Trump administration, protects against further layoffs until January, and ensures backpay for federal employees. But these are likely to be consolation prizes for Democrats as the bill does not cover their healthcare-related demands.

The majority of Democratic lawmakers maintained throughout the face-off that healthcare was a red line that they would not budge on.

Under the Trump-endorsed bill that is now set to pass, health insurance premiums will rise for around 24 million Americans —by two or even four times for many families— as subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will end and another 11.8 million Americans will lose Medicaid coverage over the next decade.

In the House, after a Democrat’s swearing-in scheduled for today, the Republicans will have a 217-214 majority. While all Republicans are expected to toe the line, at least two Republicans have lately criticised Trump’s policies —Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene— on shutdown and there is a remote possibility that they could vote against the bill. This would mean Republicans will have a bare minimum majority left.