The Senate voted to advance a series of bills that could end the longest federal government shutdown in history — clearing a key procedural hurdle. The question now is how long the whole process will take.
The Senate is advancing a bipartisan minibus — comprised of three appropriations bills — and a stopgap measure that would fund the government through January 30, 2026. The legislation does not include an extension to expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, which has long been a demand from Democrats to end the shutdown. Instead, there is merely a guarantee for a vote on extending the ACA subsidies in December, shortly before they sunset.
The continuing resolution text, which was released shortly before 7 p.m. ET Sunday, includes a measure that would reverse the mass federal layoffs that have taken place since the shutdown began.
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The three bills that will get a vote are the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act; the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act; and the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.
The seven Democratic senators who voted to advance the measure with the majority of Republicans included Minority Whip Dick Durbin, and Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, Maggie Hassan, Tim Kaine, Jacky Rosen, Jeanne Shaheen, John Fetterman, and Independent Sen. Angus King, who caucuses with Democrats. Sen. Rand Paul was the lone Republican “no” vote.
“Negotiators are pleased with a responsible path forwards — health care price hikes have been elevated into the national conversation — and a noteworthy win for the federal workforce and Americans who rely on a functioning government delivering for them. Plus the minority caucus is seen as a vocal champion for the cost of living,” a person familiar with negotiations told NOTUS.
The proposal to include a guaranteed vote to extend ACA subsidies was negotiated by moderate senators, including Shaheen, Hassan and King.
The majority of Senate Democrats are expected not to support the measure.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters before the procedural vote Sunday evening he’d vote against the measure, signaling this is not a proposal blessed by Democratic leaders. This is a stark change to his procedural vote on a Republican government funding stopgap measure in March, which helped the measure advance in the Senate and pass.
“I must vote no. This health care crisis is so severe, so urgent, so devastating for families back home that I cannot in good faith support this CR that fails to address the health care crisis,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Sunday night. “But let me be clear, however this vote turns out, this fight will and must continue.”
Some Democrats told reporters they were unhappy with the deal after casting their votes Sunday night. Senator Chris Murphy said that after Democrats won several key races on Tuesday, the caucus should have continued pushing for a compromise on healthcare.
“I think the voters were pretty clear on Tuesday night what they wanted Congress to do, and more specifically, what they wanted Democrats to do, and I’m really saddened that we didn’t listen to them,” Murphy said.
Senator Elizabeth Warren was also visibly upset coming off the floor, blaming President Donald Trump for the outcome.
“If there were any doubts about what a fundamentally cruel human being he is, just look at a man who is President of the United States and says that for political dealings, he will do his best to make sure there are more hungry people in America and more people who can’t make their rent payments,” Warren said.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, a progressive independent who also caucuses with Democrats, decried the measure and said it did not do enough to address the party’s main concerns.
“My own thought is that it would be a terrific mistake to cave in to Trump right now. The American people cannot afford to double their health care premiums, they cannot afford to lose their Medicaid, which 15 million people would,” Sanders said Sunday night.
House Democratic leadership is already panning the proposal. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries slammed the proposal in a statement Sunday evening, writing: “We will not support spending legislation advanced by Senate Republicans that fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.”
“Donald Trump and the Republican Party own the toxic mess they have created in our country and the American people know it,” Jeffries said.
Top Democratic appropriator Rosa DeLauro slammed the legislation in a statement Sunday.
“It is unfortunate Senate Republicans prematurely released partial text of the minibus without getting agreement from all corners,” DeLauro said in a statement on Sunday, referring to the top appropriators in the House and Senate. “While the Military Construction bill is better than the full-year CR those programs were funded under for 2025, it is important to place it in the context of the entire legislative package that will be considered.”
The Senate was largely quiet during the rare Sunday session, with few members trickling in and out of the chamber and many more en route back to Washington.
Republicans are cautiously optimistic that this is the way out of the shutdown that has broken the record for longest one in U.S. history.
“If we blow this window, we are going to get stuck with a yearlong CR,” Republican Sen. John Hoeven told reporters. “We’ve been working it and working it and working it and working to get to regular order. Leader Thune has always been rock solid on that, and that’s one thing that matters to Democrats.”
The issue for final passage of the bill is timing, and any individual senator could drag out the process using procedural delays. Once the package is passed in the Senate, Speaker Mike Johson would have to call the House back into session, where the legislation’s path is less clear.
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