Senate Approves Deal to End Historic US Government Shutdown
Senate Approves Deal to End Historic US Government Shutdown
Senate passes a bipartisan plan to reopen the government after 41 days, sending funding through January and paving the way for a House vote amid ongoing budget talks.
WASHINGTON — The 41-day government shutdown appears poised to end as the Senate voted 60-40 to reopen the government, with a bipartisan bloc of Democrats joining Republicans to move forward. A group of three former governors — Jeanne Shaheen, Maggie Hassan, and Angus King — agreed to vote to advance three bipartisan annual spending bills and extend the rest of government funding until late January. Republicans promised a vote to extend health care subsidies by mid-December, though those subsidies are set to expire on January 1.
President Donald Trump indicated support for the measure, saying the country would be opening up very quickly as lawmakers return to Washington to vote. The shutdown has disrupted federal food aid, worsened airport delays, and left hundreds of thousands of federal workers unpaid as the stalemate stretched on for weeks.
House Speaker Mike Johnson urged members to come back to Washington right away to vote on the legislation, noting travel delays caused by the shutdown. The final Senate vote marks a rare moment of cross‑party agreement after a prolonged standstill, and signals an end to a period described by many as the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
Despite the immediate breakthrough, the path forward in the House remains contingent on attendance and the ability to pass the funding measures. Supporters frame the deal as a practical fix to stabilize funding through January while broader budget negotiations continue. Critics, meanwhile, caution that extending subsidies through mid‑December may simply delay larger budget fights rather than resolve them.
As federal workers await pay, the country moves toward reopening, with the focus shifting from crisis management to budget planning and ensuring government services resume normal operations.
Cover image source: What to Know About the Deal to End the Shutdown 🔗
