Senate Republicans garnered enough votes from eight Senate Democrats to reopen the government, amassing a vote of 60-40. Lasting 40 days, this shutdown surpassed the previous shutdown lasting 35 days under President Donald Trump’s first term and is the longest government shutdown in history.
The Senate Democrats formed a barrier to passing an appropriations bill. Democrats abstained from passing any stopgap or appropriations bill. The party demanded from the Senate Republicans an extension to subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, which 24 million uninsured Americans rely on, set to expire at the end of this year.
Senate Democrats and GOP reached a deal, called the “minibus” package, Sunday night. This deal includes funding for departments so the government is reopened, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and backpay for federal workers who have been furloughed or working without pay.
While the deal will reopen the government, critics argue that the agreement is insufficient as it did not include an extension to the ACA subsidies. Without an extension, millions of uninsured Americans can see a 26% increase in insurance premiums. If the subsidies expire, experts predict that 4 million Americans would go uninsured without healthcare in 2034. Instead, Democrats have settled from a promise that Senate will begin negotiations and vote on an extension to the ACA by the end of the second week in December. The future of the ACA is uncertain, as both parties did not reach a definite conclusion on it.
The deal contains three full-year appropriations bills to fund certain departments — such as the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Veteran Affairs — through the end of the fiscal year next fall. Furthermore, the deal offers a continuing resolution to fund the government at existing spending levels through Jan. 30.
The deal would also fund SNAP through next September, a contentious issue throughout the shutdown and has faced numerous legal battles in court.
In the midst of the government shutdown, federal workers have faced repeated threats from the Trump administration of firing and mass layoffs, which he delivered through reduction-in-force notifications. The deal would reinstate laid off federal workers and secure back pay for federal workers who were furloughed or working without pay.
Before the deal can reach Trump’s desk, there are still procedural issues and hurdles that get in the way of the passage of the spending package.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is objecting to the consideration of this bill because the funding package’s language would close the 2018 Farm Bill loophole that has allowed unregulated hemp products to be sold.
Even though the Senate secured eight key democratic votes, Senate Democrats who have fought to preserve healthcare subsidies can delay the final passage.
Moreover, if the package passes in the Senate, the House and Trump must approve the package. Once the package enters the House, it faces fresh scrutiny, which House Speaker Mike Johnson would need the support of almost all House Republicans to outweigh objections from House Democrats.
The eight Democratic Senators who agreed to the Republican deal were Catherine Cortez of Nevada, Dick Durbin of Illinois, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Angus King of Maine, Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.
