Shutdown Update: Deal Struck to Reopen the Government

On the 40th day of the federal government shutdown, we finally have a deal.

Bipartisanship won the day as Republicans were joined by a small group of Democrats, who broke ranks, to reopen the government.

Millions of American families may soon experience an end to their hardship. After Americans have spoken out, Washington is finally listening. That said, it will take some time for things to get back to normal.

What’s in the Deal?

On Sunday evening, November 9th, a group of eight Senate Democrats joined nearly every Republican in passing the clean continuing resolution to reopen and fund the government through January 30th and beyond. Senators voted 60-40 in a critical procedural step to advance the bill. 

The eight Democratic senators: 

John Fetterman (D-Pa.) 

Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.)

Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.)

Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.)—retiring at the end of the year

Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) 

Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) 

Tim Kaine (D-Va.)

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine)

The deal combines three full-year funding measures into one package with the temporary funding bill. The package would:

• Fund multiple agencies and programs, including military construction, veterans’ affairs, SNAP benefits, the Department of Agriculture, and the legislative branch through the full fiscal year ending Sept. 30th, 2026.
• Fund all other agencies and programs through Jan. 30, 2026.
• Provide furloughed federal employees with back pay.
• Retain more than 4,000 federal workers targeted for layoffs during the shutdown.
• Prevent additional federal workers from being laid off through reductions in force (RIFs) for the duration of this deal.
• Guarantee a Senate vote in December to extend the expiring enhanced health insurance premium Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.

In the meantime, the Senate can simultaneously work to pass the additional 9 or so appropriations bills (full-year budget) and stave off another shutdown standoff.

The issue of the ACA subsidies does not go away, and we’ll see how both sides address it. We note that the extra subsidies to upper-income households were not part of the original Obamacare law, but were added in 2021 by President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats during the pandemic emergency. They determined that those subsidies must sunset at the end of December. The ACA was never affordable, and the subsidies were a temporary band-aid on a broken system.

What’s Next?

The Senate must now pass the revised bill by a simple majority. It’s uncertain how quickly this will happen, as the Left can still pull some obstructive maneuvers to delay the final vote. 

Majority Leader John Thune said Sunday night,

After 40 long days, I’m hopeful that we can finally bring the shutdown to an end.

However, most Democrats have signaled they will not work across the aisle to reopen the government. Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer noted,

This health care crisis is so severe, so urgent, so devastating for families back home that I cannot in good faith support this CR.

One of the bipartisan deal negotiators, Sen. Shaheen, softly called on her Democratic colleagues to cave.

I understand that not all of my Democratic colleagues are satisfied with this agreement, but waiting another week or another month wouldn’t deliver a better outcome. It would only mean more harm for families in New Hampshire and all across the country.

Once the Senate votes, it is expected to adjourn and the House to return, as early as the end of this week, to vote on the new package. President Trump would then provide final sign-off.

Bottom Line

Enough is enough, and moderates on the Left realize the damage done to American households is no longer defensible.

With just two short weeks before Thanksgiving, air travel is being slowed by 10%, leading to mass flight delays and cancellations. Even more, millions of families are struggling to feed themselves and keep a roof over their heads. The administration is limited in how much help it can offer federal workers, military men and women, and poor families. Time truly was running out. Now, the way forward looks brighter; help is on the way.