Senate Advances Funding Bill, Paving Way to End 40-Day Government Shutdown

The Senate voted today to advance a House-passed measure to fund the government, marking a significant breakthrough in the month-long stalemate and offering hope for a reopening of federal agencies later this week.

In a 60-40 vote late yesterday evening, eight Democrats joined Republicans to overcome previous obstacles and move forward with the legislation. The bill, which initially stalled on 14 prior votes, is expected to be amended in the Senate to include a package of full-year appropriations bills and a temporary extension of funding through January. This shutdown has impacted federal employee paychecks and services across the country.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson urged House members to return to Washington “right now” in anticipation of a vote on the final deal, stating, “Our long national nightmare is finally coming to an end.” He added, “We look forward to the government reopening this week…We have a lot of business to do.” Meanwhile, former President Trump took to social media, demanding air traffic controllers return to work and suggesting bonuses for those who remained on duty, while threatening consequences for those who did not. For more on the impact of government shutdowns, see the Congressional Research Service report on federal funding gaps.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, a key Democratic negotiator, emphasized that the agreement forces Speaker Johnson to bring the House back into session after a month-long recess. “We stood up to President Trump for 40 days,” Shaheen said, adding that the situation arose because of Republican resistance to funding healthcare affordability. The eight Democrats who supported advancing the bill include Senators Cortez Masto, Durbin, Fetterman, Hassan, Kaine, King, Rosen, and Shaheen. You can find a full list of Senators and their voting records at the official Senate website.

Procedural votes are expected to continue in the Senate, and the House must also approve the legislation before it can be signed into law, but officials expressed optimism that the government could be fully funded and reopened this week.