Senate Reaches Deal to End Shutdown

Senators have reached a deal to end the government shutdown.

The broad framework for agreement, which was negotiated in part by Sens. Angus King, Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan as well as GOP senators, has “more than enough” members of the Senate Democratic Caucus to advance, according to two people granted anonymity to disclose the terms.

The deal, said one of the people, was brokered between the Democratic negotiators, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the White House. Members of the Appropriations Committee were also closely involved and helped negotiate the terms.

As part of the deal, Democratic negotiators agreed to ensure at least eight members from their caucus would vote “yes” on procedural motions to advance the government funding package. That would provide certainty that the 60-vote procedural threshold is consistently met up until final passage, where only a simple majority is required.

The Senate is poised to vote later Sunday night to advance the House-passed stopgap, which will later become the vehicle for the larger funding deal. It still needs to pass the House before the government can be reopened.

The breakthrough follows weeks of closed-door negotiations not only among a bipartisan group of rank-and-file senators but also Thune and, according to one of the people granted anonymity to share private conversations, President Donald Trump.

The Sunday vote would pave the way for consideration later this week of a legislative package that would fund the Department of Agriculture and the FDA, the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction projects, and the operations of Congress, for the full fiscal year — the product of months of bipartisan, bicameral negotiations between top appropriators.

“I also think it’s highly significant that we’ll have three year-long appropriations bills attached,” Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Monday night.

All other agencies would be funded through Jan. 30, according to the text of a continuing resolution released Sunday.

As part of Democrats’ agreement to end the shutdown, Thune is promising Senate Democrats a vote in mid-December to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that are due to expire at the end of the year without Congressional action. Democrats will also get to determine what extension bill receives that vote.

The government-opening agreement guarantees that federal employees laid off during the shutdown are re-hired and gives federal employees backpay. It also would require agencies to give written notice to Congress about the withdrawal of the so-called reduction-in-force notices issued during the funding lapse, plus provide the amount of back pay owed.

It would, as well, prevent some future firings with a blanket prohibition on reductions-in-force in any department or agency until at least the end date of the continuing resolution: Jan. 30, 2026.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who was involved in negotiations over the RIF language, said in a statement shortly after the deal was announced that he would support it.

“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,” Kaine said.

Many progressives in the Senate — along with a large number of House Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — think anything short of a deal to enact an extension of the ACA tax credits is insufficient.

“We will not support spending legislation advanced by Senate Republicans that fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. We will fight the GOP bill in the House of Representatives, where [Speaker] Mike Johnson will be compelled to end the seven week Republican taxpayer-funded vacation,” Jeffries said in a statement.

House Democratic leadership has insisted the health subsidies be addressed in legislation rather than a handshake compromise, especially as Johnson has refused to offer Democrats the same promise of a vote on an extension in his chamber.

But while attending a Sunday night football game, President Donald Trump appeared optimistic the end of the longest government shutdown in history might be finally within reach.

“It looks like we’re getting very close to the shutdown ending,” he told reporters.

A handful of centrist House Democrats are expected to support the deal, according to one House Democrat granted anonymity to speak candidly.

News of the agreement came as the Senate Democratic Caucus was huddling behind closed-doors to talk about the path forward. Likely opponents, like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), spoke during the meeting, which is still ongoing. Negotiators involved in the talks are also giving pitches.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who took heat from the progressive base for leading his party in shoring up the votes to prevent a government shutdown back in March, told reporters he would oppose the deal Sunday night.

Other Senate Democrats also came out of the meeting vowing to oppose the agreement.

“No deal without health care,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told reporters leaving the meeting.

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) wrote in a social media post, “I’m voting NO.”