Senate Negotiates Deal to End Government Shutdown After Ongoing Struggles

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate came close to passing the first part of a deal on Sunday night that could effectively end the federal government shutdown, which began on October 1. The vote on this procedural step was delayed as Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas had yet to arrive, with only one more ‘aye’ vote needed for the measure to pass.

Senators have debated the agreement that would fund the government until the end of January. However, the proposed deal leaves out a significant Democratic demand for an extension of enhanced tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of December.

Despite this, the deal includes a commitment from Republicans to bring forward a vote in December on a bill chosen by Democrats regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits. This provision is particularly relevant for the over 20 million Americans who rely on these subsidies to make health insurance more affordable.

The measure, negotiated through all-night discussions, still requires House approval and President Biden’s signature to take effect. Moreover, it includes guarantees for federal employees, reversing all permanent layoffs and ensuring salaries are paid during the shutdown.

As of Sunday night, the Senate had reached 56 votes in favor, but progress was stalled as other Republican senators were still not voting. These included Rick Scott of Florida, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, and Mike Lee of Utah. When they finally cast their votes, the support surged quickly.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed hope that after over 40 days of the shutdown, they could bring it to an end. He noted that prior efforts to pass a continuing resolution had failed 14 times before this vote.

Key figures in the negotiation process were Thune, alongside Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire and Independent Senator Angus King from Maine. However, some Democrats flagged concerns, highlighting how dropping the ACA credit extension was a troubling aspect of the deal.

Senator King described the deal as “horrific” and emphasized that the health care issue would not be addressed until the shutdown concluded.

From the Democratic side, Senators Dick Durbin, Catherine Cortez Masto, Jacky Rosen, John Fetterman, and Tim Kaine were in favor of the agreement. In contrast, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Republicans for not extending the ACA credits, labeling the deal inadequate.

Amidst the turmoil, an ongoing Supreme Court case added another layer of complexity, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson halting an order mandating full federal food assistance payments due to the ongoing shutdown.

This news is still developing with potential new updates from the Senate expected