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The Senate took a big step forward Sunday on the path to reopening the government, with a group of Senate Democrats relenting and joining Republicans in their attempt to pass a revamped plan to end the shutdown.
Signs that the shutdown, now in its 40th day, may be ending, became clearer as the day wore on, including the unveiling of a bipartisan package of spending bills that lawmakers hope to attach to an amended bill aimed at reopening the government.
Eight Democratic senators crossed the aisle to mark the first step in the GOP’s quest to end the shutdown. Many of the lawmakers who parted ways with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., were among those engaged in bipartisan talks in recent weeks.
Among the defectors were Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Jacky Rosen, D-N.M., Tim Kaine, D-Va., and the Senate’s second-ranking Democrat, Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
Republicans unveil key piece of shutdown puzzle in effort to reopen government
A group of Democratic senators crossed the aisle to join Republicans in their bid to reopen the government and provided enough votes to keep the wheels turning as the shutdown enters its 40th day. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“The question was, would the shutdown accomplish the goal of gaining the support needed to extend the tax credits? Our judgment was that it would not,” King said. “It would not produce this result. And the proof is almost seven weeks of failed attempts to achieve this.”
Schumer and Senate Democrats have long maintained the course that they would only vote to reopen the government in exchange for a strong deal on extending the expiring Obamacare subsidies.
But the solution developed in recent days included nothing of the sort. Although there were some victories in the updated Continuing Resolution (CR), such as reversing some furlough worker layoffs undertaken by the Trump administration and guaranteeing back pay for unemployed workers, there was no guaranteed victory in sight on the issue of Obamacare.
That means Senate Democrats effectively caved with little to show for their health care campaign, except for securing a vote on subsidies from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R.S.D., which was reflected in the updated CR.
Schumer criticized the compromise deal and charged that when Republicans rejected Democrats’ counterproposal that would have extended expiring subsidies for another year, “they showed they were against any health care reform.”
“This health care crisis is so serious, so urgent, so devastating to families back home that I cannot, in good faith, support this RC that fails to address the health care crisis,” Schumer said.
SENATE IN LIMBO AS THUNE CONSIDERES LONG JOURNEY UNTIL SHUTDOWN ENDS
Senate Republicans are hoping a recently unveiled package of spending bills could be key to reopening the government. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., plans to put the bill and Democrats’ resolve to the test. (Pete Kiehart/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Thune expressed optimism that the plan would succeed and reiterated his promise for a vote on whether the subsidies would expire. However, whatever legislation is developed to solve the Obamacare problem will likely fail.
“Regardless, as I have been telling my Democratic friends for weeks, I will schedule a vote on their proposal, and I am committed to holding that vote no later than the second week of December,” he said.
Progressives in the caucus were also unhappy with the developments.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, said it would be a “horrible mistake” for Democrats to concede now without an Obamacare deal.
“If Democrats give in on this issue, they will tell Donald Trump that he has the green light to move toward authoritarianism,” Sanders said. “And I think that would be a tragedy for this country.”
However, there is still a long way to go before the government officially reopens.
Sunday’s vote was the first in a series needed in the Senate to amend the continuing resolution passed by the House and combine it with the three-bill spending package and the updated CR, which, if passed, would reopen the government until Jan. 30, 2026.
Lawmakers are hoping that if they had more time, they could finish funding the government with spending bills rather than turning to another CR spending package or a colossal omnibus spending package, which consolidates all 12 government funding bills into one piece of legislation.
“If we blow that window, we’re going to end up with a one-year CR,” said Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D.
DEMS BLOCKS GOP BILL GUARANTEEING FEDERAL WORKERS AND MILITARY PAYCHECKS CONTINUE DURING SHUTDOWN
Sen. Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, during a press conference at the United States Capitol in Washington, D..C, Wednesday, November 5, 2025. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
And the shutdown won’t stop in the Senate, as changes to the legislation will need to receive a green light from the House before reaching President Donald Trump’s desk.
Democrats could still overcome procedural hurdles unless there is unanimous agreement from all 100 senators to move forward with the remaining votes.
However, the issue of Obamacare is still simmering on both sides of the aisle. Senate Republicans criticized the state of health care throughout Saturday, particularly over how subsidies funneled money to insurance companies.
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Democrats still remained skeptical about the legitimacy of their frustration and desire to make changes to take on insurance companies.
“The point, I think is really relevant here, is whether they’re serious, and I really wonder if that’s the case,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
