The United States Senate took the first step Sunday toward ending the government shutdown after a group of moderate Democrats agreed to advance a funding measure without securing a guaranteed extension of health-care subsidies, sparking backlash from within their own caucus.
In a procedural test vote, the Senate approved by a 60-40 margin moving forward with a compromise that would fund government operations and set aside a separate vote for extending the tax credits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that expire January 1.
The agreement does not ensure the tax credits will be extended — a key demand of most Senate Democrats who have held firm for nearly six weeks. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York voted against the motion, joined by all but eight members of his caucus.
A small bipartisan coalition , including former governors turned U.S. senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Angus King (I-ME), broke the stalemate by agreeing to advance three annual spending bills and extend funding for the remainder of the government until late January, in exchange for a mid-December vote on the ACA tax credits.
The deal also would reverse mass federal worker firings that began with the shutdown on October 1, guarantee back pay for those workers and seek to reimburse states that stepped in to keep federal programs running during the hiatus.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune quickly endorsed the arrangement, saying “the time to act is now” as the shutdown disrupted flights nationwide, threatened food-aid programs for millions and left federal workers unpaid.
In the Senate chamber, seven Democrats broke ranks and voted in favor of advancing the deal: Shaheen, King, Hassan, Virginia’s Tim Kaine, and Illinois’s Dick Durbin, along with Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman and Nevada’s Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen.
Three conservative Republicans, Mike Lee (R-UT), Rick Scott (R-FL) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) initially withheld their support, sparking a huddle with Thune. They ultimately voted in favor after discussing the matter with Trump. Another GOP senator, John Cornyn (R-TX), returned late from a trip to provide the necessary 60th vote.
Schumer, speaking after a two-hour closed door meeting, said he could not support the deal “in good faith.” He vowed Democrats “will not give up the fight.” Socialist Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who caucuses with the Senate Democrats, called the decision a “horrific mistake.”
In the House, progressive Democrats also blasted the deal. Greg Casar (D-TX) described it as a “betrayal” of millions of Americans relying on more affordable health coverage. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries accused Republicans and Trump of owning the “toxic mess” and reaffirmed that Democrats will continue the fight.
The health-care issue remains unresolved ahead of a December vote in the Senate. Some Republicans say they’re open to extending the ACA tax credits, but only with tighter eligibility or individual routing of subsidies. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has not committed to bringing the issue to the House floor.
Meanwhile, the shutdown’s disruptions continue. Airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights Sunday, with over 7,000 delays, as travelers were confronted with chaos ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. The status of releasing food aid from the federal SNAP program hangs in the balance as a stay ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday expires on Monday.
