Senate Votes to End Nation's Longest Govt Shutdown

The Senate on Monday voted to pass the new bipartisan continuing resolution to end the 41-day shutdown and reopen the government.

The Senate voted 60-40 to approve a funding measure that keeps military construction, veterans' affairs, the Department of Agriculture, and the legislative branch funded through Sept. 30, 2026, while extending funding for the rest of the government through Jan. 30.

After the vote, Senate Majority leader John Thune, R-S.D., thanked unpaid staff and Capitol Police who stood near him on the floor. He said he realized the strain had been immense for "six excruciating weeks."

"I am very, very happy to be able to say we are coming to the end," Thune said.

The measure now goes to the House for approval before it reaches the desk of President Donald Trump. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said that voting will begin on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.

Trump said Monday he would support the Senate agreement to end the government shutdown, calling it "a very good deal" that he would "abide by," according to remarks made in the Oval Office.

The president said the deal would reopen the country "very quickly" and reverse mass federal layoffs carried out earlier in the shutdown.

Johnson on Monday called on lawmakers to return to Washington "right now," citing shutdown-related travel delays and warning that Congress needs to "do this as quickly as possible."

Johnson, who has kept the House out of session since mid-September after passing a temporary funding bill, said both chambers must move fast to finish the job of reopening the government.

After weeks of gridlock, three former governors — Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, both D-N.H., and independent Angus King of Maine — agreed to vote to advance three bipartisan spending bills and extend funding for the rest of the government through late January.

In exchange, Republicans promised to hold a vote by mid-December on extending the Obamacare premium tax credits, but offered no guarantee the measure would pass.

Shaheen defended the compromise, telling CNN it was "the option on the table" after Republicans refused to budge.

"We had reached a point where I think a number of us believed that the shutdown had been very effective in raising the concern about healthcare," Shaheen said, adding that the deal "gives us an opportunity to continue to address that going forward."

The legislation also reverses the mass firings of federal workers by the Trump administration since the shutdown began Oct. 1 and protects them from further layoffs through January, ensuring they will receive back pay once the government reopens.

Along with Shaheen, King, and Hassan, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. — whose state is home to tens of thousands of federal workers — joined Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; John Fetterman, D-Pa.; and Nevada Democrats Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen in supporting the deal.

All other Democrats, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., voted against it. The moderates had expected stronger support, with 10 to 12 Democrats involved in the negotiations, but in the end, only five switched sides — the exact number Republicans needed to move forward.

Schumer, facing a backlash from progressives, said he couldn't "in good faith" back the agreement after meeting with his caucus for more than two hours.

"We will not give up the fight," Schumer said, claiming Democrats have "sounded the alarm" on healthcare.

Progressive Democrats were furious. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., called the decision to end the shutdown a "horrific mistake." Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said voters who backed Democrats in last week's elections expected them to "hold firm."

House Democrats also lashed out. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, labeled the deal a "betrayal" of millions of Americans who rely on Democrats to lower healthcare costs.

House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who had criticized Schumer in March for keeping the government open, defended him this time, saying Democrats were "on the right side of this fight."

Whether the two parties can reach an agreement on the subsidies before the December vote remains unclear. Johnson said House Republicans are open to reforming what he called the "Un-Affordable Care Act," but would not commit to taking up the measure.

Some Republicans have expressed openness to extending the COVID-era tax credits to avoid premium spikes but want new limits on eligibility and changes directing tax dollars through individuals instead of insurers.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she supports extending the subsidies but with new income caps. "We do need to act by the end of the year," she said.

Meanwhile, Trump and several Republicans renewed calls to scrap or overhaul Obamacare, signaling another fight ahead.

In a preview of that battle, the Senate on Monday voted 47-53 along party lines against extending the subsidies for another year. Republicans allowed the vote as part of a deal to speed up consideration of the broader spending package and send it to the House.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.