Breaking: Senate Votes to End 41-Day Government Shutdown
After more than six weeks of political brinkmanship, the U.S. Senate voted Monday night to approve a government funding package that would reopen the federal government — a major step forward supported by President Donald J. Trump and opposed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and most Democrats.
The final vote was 60–40, with eight Democrats and Independent Sen. Angus King joining Republicans to pass the measure. The only Republican “no” vote came from Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who argued the deal didn’t go far enough in cutting government spending.
Among the Democrats breaking ranks were Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), John Fetterman (Pa.), Tim Kaine (Va.), Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan (N.H.), and Dick Durbin (Ill.) — the latter being the second-highest-ranking Democrat in the chamber.
The bipartisan agreement will fund the government through the end of January and finalize appropriations for key departments including Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, the legislative branch, and military construction. In exchange, Senate Republicans agreed to hold a vote later this year on extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies and rehiring federal employees laid off during the shutdown.
President Trump praised the deal Monday evening from the Oval Office, calling it “very good” and urging quick House passage to get federal workers back on the job.
“This is a strong step forward for the American people,” Trump said, signaling his readiness to sign the bill once it reaches his desk.
The agreement came after weeks of frustration over Schumer’s refusal to negotiate with Republicans — a stance that led to growing dissent within his own caucus. The final vote followed a smaller Sunday night procedural vote where the same group of Democrats broke with leadership to advance the legislation.
“I cannot accept a strategy which wages political battle at the expense of my neighbor’s paycheck or the food for his children,” Sen. Dick Durbin said on the Senate floor, distancing himself from Schumer’s shutdown tactics.
Sen. Angus King echoed the sentiment, saying in a video posted to social media: “It’s become clear after six weeks of the shutdown that the strategy of shutting down the government and forcing the Republicans to talk about the ACA wasn’t working… and it was at the same time hurting a lot of people.”
Still, some Democrats blasted the bipartisan deal as too modest, accusing colleagues of caving to Trump and Senate Republicans. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D–Mich.) said, “What has worked in the past is not working now. We need to meet the moment, and we’re not doing that.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R–Texas) dismissed Democratic hopes for a clean extension of Obamacare subsidies, saying such a bill “has no chance” of passing.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R–S.D.) urged his colleagues to act quickly: “The American people have suffered for long enough. Let’s not pointlessly drag this bill out. Let’s get it done, and get it over to the House, so that we can get this government open.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson called on lawmakers to return to Washington immediately to take up the measure, noting the disruption caused by the prolonged shutdown. “Nearly half of all domestic flights were either canceled or delayed,” Johnson said Monday. “We need to begin right now returning to the Hill. We have to do this as quickly as possible.”
If passed by the House, the deal would mark the end of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history — and a significant political victory for President Trump, who stood firm through weeks of partisan resistance to push for fiscal restraint and stability.