Forty days after the longest government shutdown in history, eight members of the Senate Democratic caucus stood up to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and backed a deal that would end the government shutdown.
Lawmakers voted 60 to 40 in favor. The house is completed clean continuing resolution (CR) on Sunday night, which previously failed to pass the Senate's 60-vote threshold 14 times. While the deal marks a critical breakthrough in reopening the government, the process is expected to take several days due to likely opposition from some senators to speeding up a vote on final passage.
Any agreement would also have to be approved by the House of Representatives, which is in recess. With September 19. (RELATED: Just 3 Democrats Voted to Pay Soldiers, Law Enforcement Agencies 38 Days After They Shut Down)
Democratic Senators Tim Kaine of Virginia, Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Jackie Rosen of Nevada cast their votes in support of the CR passed by the House of Representatives. Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Democrat, doesn't work for re-election, also supported this measure.
The five Democrats joined fellow caucus members Sen. Johns. Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who have repeatedly voted with Republicans to fund the government throughout the record-breaking shutdown fight.
Georgia Senator John Ossoffwidely seen as the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent seeking re-election in 2026, voted with Schumer to oppose the shutdown agreement.
In the coming days Senate Majority Leader John Thune is expected to propose a replacement for the House continuing resolution that would include elements of a bipartisan framework.
The agreement extends government funding levels through the end of January 2026, advances three appropriations bills through the full year, and funds the federal food assistance program through fiscal year 2026. The agreement also reverses the massive layoffs of federal workers carried out by the Trump administration during the shutdown.
King, Hassan and Shaheen were reportedly in charge of negotiating a bipartisan deal with Republicans to end the 40-day funding freeze.
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 8: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks with members of the press as he heads to his office in the Capitol Building on November 8, 2025 in Washington, DC. Today marks the 39th day of the government shutdown, the longest in US history. (Photo by Aaron Swartz/Getty Images)
The breakthrough came after Thune held a Senate meeting over the weekend in an attempt to speed up an end to the lockdown. The defunding has forced a huge number of federal employees miss a salaryjeopardized millions of Americans' access to food stamps And broken air travel to major hubs in the country.
King, who caucuses with Democrats, told reporters before the vote that the “length of the shutdown” prompted the Democratic caucus to support the shutdown deal. The Maine Independent also reported that Republicans' refusal to negotiate an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, set to expire at the end of December while the government was shut down, also forced Democrats to take up the cause.
“The question was, as the shutdown progressed, would there be a solution to the ACA [Affordable Care Act] becomes more likely? It appears not,” King told reporters. “And I think people are saying we're not going to get what we want, even though we still have a chance because part of the deal is a vote on ACA subsidies.”
Many of King's Democratic colleagues opposed the bipartisan agreement, arguing that the legislation was inadequate because it did not guarantee an extension of ACA subsidies.
“I cannot in good faith vote for a show vote that provides no guarantee that 24 million Americans will get the health care they deserve,” said Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, a potential 2028 presidential contender. wrote on X.
“[V]Supporting Trump's continued resolution—without any protection from health care cuts or rising illegalities—is a mistake,” Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, another Democrat who could run for president in 2028, wrote on X. “I voted NO.”
The Democratic National Committee, left-wing activist organizations and a significant portion of House Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, voiced their opposition to the deal on Sunday evening. Democratic candidates running for Senate in next year's midterm elections and rumored 2028 presidential candidates also opposed the agreement, citing insufficient language on health care.
Thune suggested that Democrats vote to extend ACA subsidies as part of the shutdown agreement. However, the vote is likely to fail because of deep opposition among Republicans to extending ACA subsidies without significant reform.
“Republicans are not going to further burden taxpayers by blindly expanding a flawed program,” Thune said on the Senate floor Saturday.
House GOP leadership will give lawmakers 36 hours' notice to return to Washington after the Senate passes a stopgap bill to reopen the government.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and unbiased news service, is available free of charge to any legitimate news publisher that can reach a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter's byline and DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our policies or partnerships with us, please contact [email protected].
