Senate Votes to Reopen the Government, Sends Funding Bill to the House

In a dramatic late-night vote, a small band of Senate Democrats joined Republicans Monday to approve a funding measure that would reopen the federal government — but without locking in their party’s demand to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that help millions of Americans afford insurance.

The measure now heads to the House, where GOP leaders are hopeful it could pass as soon as Wednesday, potentially ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The deal, which President Donald Trump is expected to sign, would restore critical services, including federal food aid, and pay hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers.

Eight Senate Democrats crossed the aisle to join Republicans in the 60-to-40 vote, a decision that has sparked anger and debate within the Democratic Party.

The shutdown has been politically painful, with Republicans repeatedly shouldering the blame in recent polls for the government’s lapse. The deal, brokered by Democratic centrists, has set off a fierce internal fight over strategy in the 41-day funding battle.

Many Democrats wanted to continue the fight, arguing that Trump’s administration offered little chance of meaningful health care wins. But the centrists secured a promise for a future vote on a health care bill of their choosing — one they hope will attract GOP support — though its ultimate fate in the Senate or House is far from certain.

The vote capped several frenetic days of negotiations in the Capitol. Behind closed doors, Senate centrists, GOP leaders, and White House officials hammered out a compromise over the weekend, formally unveiling the deal Sunday.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who did not support the final measure, has drawn ire from the party’s left for allowing centrists to strike a deal without securing real wins on soon-to-expire ACA subsidies, which threaten to hike premiums for millions.

Many Democrats in both chambers anticipate facing the same fight again on January 30, when the next round of funding expires. Still, the broader package would fund several key agencies through the remainder of fiscal year 2026, including programs that administer federal food aid, the Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program, and veterans’ services.

Now, all eyes turn to House Speaker Mike Johnson and members returning to Washington after weeks in their districts. Johnson will likely need Trump’s backing to push the package through a divided Republican conference. In an encouraging sign for GOP leaders Monday, Trump told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, “I would say so,” when asked if he personally approved of the deal moving through the process on Capitol Hill.

“I think, based on everything I’m hearing, they haven’t changed anything, and we have support from enough Democrats, and we’re going to be opening up our country,” Trump said. “It’s too bad it was closed, but we’ll be opening up our country very quickly.”

The Senate’s vote may have ended the government shutdown — at least for now — but with battles over health care and future funding looming, the political fight is far from over.