Government shutdown: Senate funding deal vote

The Senate on Sunday night was close to approving the first part of a deal that could end the federal government shutdown, which began on Oct. 1.

But the vote on the first procedural step needed for the deal was being held open, with just one more “aye” vote required to pass, to give time for Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas to arrive on the Senate floor.

It was not clear where Cornyn was more than one-and-a-half hours after voting began just before 8:30 p.m. ET.

Enough Democratic senators agreed to vote with the Republican majority for the deal’s first procedural stage to clear a 60-vote minimum threshold if Cornyn arrives and votes in favor of it.

The agreement, which was reached after round-the-clock negotiations over the weekend, would fund the U.S. government through the end of January.

The deal does not include what had been the key demand for Democrats: an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits, which are due to expire at the end of December.

But the agreement, for the first time since the shutdown began, guarantees by Republicans a vote in December on a bill chosen by Democrats to extend those subsidies, which more than 20 million Americans use to reduce the cost of health insurance plans purchased on ACA marketplaces.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democrats, called that concession by Republicans a “totally meaningless gesture” before he voted against the deal, which he called “horrific.”

The deal has to be approved by the House of Representatives and signed into law by President Donald Trump before the shutdown ends.

“After 40 long days, I’m hopeful that we can bring the shutdown to an end,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., whose efforts to pass a continuing resolution to reopen the government failed in 14 prior votes before Sunday night.

Thune negotiated the deal with the White House and three members of the Democratic caucus, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, both Democrats from New Hampshire, and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine.

The deal also calls for a reversal of all permanent layoffs of government employees during the shutdown and protection of such so-called reductions-in-force happening until the end of fiscal year 2026.

The deal guarantees that all federal workers will be paid their normal salaries during the shutdown, when many of them were not allowed to work.

The package also includes provisions for having a bipartisan budget process and preventing the White House from using continuing resolutions to fund the government.

It would also fund, through September, the SNAP program, which helps feed 42 million Americans through food stamps.

The Trump administration last week said it would not pay SNAP benefits in November because of the shutdown, and on Friday won a temporary order from the Supreme Court blocking a federal judge’s ruling mandating that full SNAP benefits be paid to recipients this month. The administration says it will pay only partial benefits.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in angry remarks on the Senate floor, said he would not vote for the deal.

Schumer blasted Republicans and Trump for refusing to agree to extend the ACA credits, which he said would lead to much higher health insurance costs for millions of people in 2026.

“This health care crisis is so severe, so urgent, so devastating for families back home that I cannot, in good faith, support this [continuing resolution] that fails to address the health care crisis,” Schumer said.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, before voting to support the deal, said, “I have long said that to earn my vote, we need to be on a path toward fixing Republicans’ health care mess and to protect the federal workforce.”

“This deal guarantees a vote to extend Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, which Republicans weren’t willing to do,” Kaine said.

“Lawmakers know their constituents expect them to vote for it, and if they don’t, they could very well be replaced at the ballot box by someone who will.”

A strong majority of Americans favor extending the enhanced subsidies, which were adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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