US Senate Pass Deal With Aim To End US Government Shutdown
After 40 days of gridlock, the Senate has passed the first major step toward reopening the U.S. government — a bipartisan deal that could finally bring the nation’s longest shutdown to an end.
The agreement came after days of tense weekend talks between Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the White House, and a small group of moderate lawmakers from both parties, including Democrats Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and independent Angus King of Maine.
The measure passed 60–40, with eight Democrats crossing the aisle to join Republicans. The deal will fund the government until January 30th, and will restore pay for about 1.4 million federal workers who’ve been furloughed or working without pay since October 1st. It also guarantees funding for food assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) until next September.
The shutdown, triggered by a fight over healthcare subsidies, has caused widespread disruption. Air travel slowed dramatically as thousands of flights were canceled or delayed when air traffic controllers stopped reporting to work. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned flights could soon slow “to a trickle.” Meanwhile, programs providing food benefits for 41 million Americans were running low on funds.
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who voted for the deal, said he did so out of concern for the workers and families affected. “This bill is not perfect, but it takes important steps to reduce the shutdown’s hurt,” he said.
A key part of the deal is a promise for a December vote on extending healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act that are due to expire this year — a sticking point that had kept Democrats from backing earlier proposals. But the compromise has exposed deep divisions inside the party.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he opposed the measure, arguing that “this bill does nothing to ensure that that crisis is addressed.” California Governor Gavin Newsom called Democrats who supported it “pathetic,” while some progressives accused moderates of caving without securing real guarantees on healthcare.
Others, like Senator Shaheen, defended the move. She said the deal “gives Democrats control of the Senate floor — at a time when Republicans control every lever of power — on one of our top legislative priorities.” Shaheen added that waiting longer would only “prolong the pain Americans are feeling because of the shutdown.”
The compromise still faces hurdles in the House of Representatives, where Speaker Mike Johnson has yet to show support for the deal. Senate Majority Leader Thune said he’s “confident that if we move to open the government, the House will do likewise.” President Trump, while railing against the Affordable Care Act online, struck a more optimistic tone Sunday evening: “It looks like we’re getting very close to the shutdown ending.”
Still, there’s no guarantee the deal will survive the next round of negotiations. With funding only extended until late January, lawmakers may soon face the same standoff all over again — just as the 2026 election season begins to heat up.
