WASHINGTON– The Senate took the first step to end the government shutdown Sunday after a group of moderate Democrats agreed to proceed without guarantees of extending health care subsidies, angering many members of their caucus who say Americans want them to continue the fight.
In a test vote that is the first in a series of required procedural maneuvers, the Senate voted 60-40 to pass compromise legislation to fund the government and hold a subsequent vote on extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits that expire Jan. 1. Final passage could be days away if Democrats object and delay the process.
The deal does not guarantee that health care subsidies will be extended, as Democrats have been demanding for nearly six weeks. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York voted against passing the package, along with all but eight of his Democratic colleagues.
A group of three former governors — New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine — broke a six-week impasse on Sunday when they agreed to vote to advance three bipartisan annual spending bills and extend the rest of government funding through the end of January in exchange for a mid-December vote on extending health care tax credits.
The deal also calls for reversing the Trump administration’s mass layoffs of federal workers since the shutdown began Oct. 1 and would ensure federal workers receive back pay.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune quickly approved the deal and called for an immediate vote to begin the approval process, as the shutdown continues to disrupt flights nationwide, threaten food aid to millions of Americans and leave federal workers without pay.
“Now is the time to act,” Thune said.
Returning to the White House Sunday evening after attending a football game, President Donald Trump did not say whether he supported the deal. But he said: “It looks like we are nearing the end of the lockdown. »
Besides Shaheen, King and Hassan, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, home to tens of thousands of federal workers, also voted to advance the deal. Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and Nevada Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen also voted yes.
Moderates expected more Democrats to vote with them since 10 to 12 Democratic senators participated in the negotiations. But in the end, only five Democrats changed their vote – the exact number Republicans needed. King, Cortez Masto and Fetterman had already been voting for open government since October 1st.
The vote was temporarily delayed Sunday night because three conservatives who often criticize spending bills, Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah, Rick Scott of Florida and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, withheld their votes and huddled with Thune in the back of the chamber. They ultimately voted yes after talking to Trump, Lee said.
Another Republican, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, had to return from Texas to get the crucial 60th vote.
After Democrats met for more than two hours to discuss the proposal, Schumer said he could not support it “in good faith.”
Schumer, who received backlash from his party in March when he voted to keep the government open, said Democrats have now “sounded the alarm” on health care.
“We will not give up the fight,” he said.
Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is caucusing with Democrats, said giving up the fight was a “horrible mistake.”
Sen. Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, agreed, saying that in last week’s election, people voted overwhelmingly Democratic “to urge Democrats to stand their ground.”
Democrats voted 14 times against reopening the government as they demanded the expansion of tax credits that make coverage more affordable under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans have said they will not negotiate on health care, but Republican Party leaders worked quietly with the group of moderates as the contours of a deal began to emerge.
The deal includes bipartisan bills developed by the Senate Appropriations Committee to fund parts of the government — food assistance, veterans programs and the legislative branch, among others. All other funding would be extended until the end of January, giving lawmakers more than two months to finalize additional spending bills.
The deal would reinstate federal workers who received notices of reduction in force, or layoffs, and reimburse states that spent their own funds to keep federal programs running during the shutdown. It would also protect against future workforce reductions through January and ensure that federal workers would be paid once the shutdown ends.
House Democrats were quick to criticize the Senate.
Texas Rep. Greg Casar, chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said a deal that doesn’t lower health care costs is a “betrayal” of millions of Americans who are counting on Democrats to fight.
“Accepting nothing more than a small promise from Republicans is not a compromise, it is a capitulation,” Casar said in an article on X. “Millions of families would pay the price.”
Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota said, “If people think this is a ‘deal,’ I have a bridge to sell you.”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries blamed Republicans and said Democrats would continue to fight.
“Donald Trump and the Republican Party are responsible for the toxic mess they have created in our country and the American people know it,” Jeffries said.
It’s unclear whether the two parties will be able to find common ground on health care subsidies before the promised Senate vote in December. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he wouldn’t commit to talking about it in his chamber.
Some Republicans have said they are open to expanding COVID-19-era tax credits because premiums could skyrocket for millions, but they also want new limits on who can receive the subsidies and argue that tax money for the plans should be funneled through individuals.
Other Republicans, including Trump, used the debate to renew their years-long criticism of the law and called for it to be abolished or revised.
In the meantime, the consequences of the closure have worsened. U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights on Sunday for the first time since the shutdown began, and there were more than 7,000 flights delayed, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks air travel disruptions.
Treasury Secretary Sean Duffy said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that air travel before the Thanksgiving holiday would be “reduced to a trickle” if the government does not reopen.
At the same time, food assistance has been delayed for tens of millions of people, with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits caught up in legal battles related to the shutdown.
And in Washington, home to tens of thousands of unpaid federal workers, the Capital Area Food Bank said it would provide 8 million more meals before the holidays than it prepared for this budget year, an increase of nearly 20 percent.
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Associated Press writers Stephen Groves and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.
