The record-setting 41-day US government shutdown is poised to end after the Senate passed a temporary funding measure on Monday, a breakthrough driven by a group of centrist Democrats who broke with their party’s leadership to strike a deal.
The 60-40 vote comes amid mounting public pressure, with the prolonged shutdown causing escalating flight disruptions, delays in food aid, and widespread frustration among a federal workforce that has largely gone without pay for over a month.
The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for a final vote before it can be sent to President Donald Trump, who has endorsed the measure.
The path to reopening the government was cleared when a group of eight moderate Democrats dropped their party’s core demand to include a renewal of expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies in the funding bill.
In exchange, they settled for a Republican promise to hold a Senate vote on the insurance credits by mid-December.
This concession, which comes with no guarantee of passage, has infuriated progressives who had supported the high-stakes confrontation with President Trump.
The climbdown stoked anger across the party, with prominent figures like California Governor Gavin Newsom calling the deal “pathetic.”
“I think it’s a terrible mistake,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat. “The American people want us to stand and fight for health care, and that’s what I believe we should do.”
A fractured Democratic front
The deal demonstrates the deep divisions within the Democratic party and the limited leverage they hold in a Republican-controlled Washington.
The centrist group broke ranks with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has also criticized the plan, indicating that Democrats in his chamber will not support it.
The Republican-controlled House must still approve the spending package, which keeps most of the government open through January 30.
However, Speaker Mike Johnson has expressed confidence that it will pass quickly, a sentiment bolstered by conditional support from the hardline conservative Freedom Caucus.
The long road back to normal
Even if the government reopens this week, the effects of the 41-day shutdown will linger.
It could take days for air travel to return to normal after recent disruptions, and likely longer for the 42 million low-income Americans enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to receive their delayed benefits.
The bill does, however, include a provision to provide back pay for all federal workers who were denied pay during the shutdown.
While Democrats have been forced to concede on their core demand, they may find some silver linings. Polls have consistently shown that the public blamed Republicans more for the deadlock.
Furthermore, the issue at the heart of the fight—renewing the popular Obamacare tax credits—remains a potent political issue ahead of future negotiations, as 24 million Americans face the prospect of significant premium hikes.
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