The United States Senate, ending the longest ” in the history of the country.
The bill passed by 60 votes to 40 after six weeks of intense political debate and economic ramifications.
House Republican Speaker Mike Johnson called on members of Congress, who have been on recess since mid-September, to return to Washington “immediately” so the House vote can proceed, while Donald Trump said “the country will open up very soon.”
An end to the political deadlock
The shutdown lasted 41 days, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal employees without pay, delaying benefits and causing serious problems at airports and public services.
The impasse ended after a deal by three senators — Gene Sahin and Maggie Hassan (N.H.) and independent Angus King (Maine) — who joined Republicans in supporting three bipartisan funding bills, despite strong opposition from within their own party.
The deal keeps the government running until the end of January, and calls for a vote on extending health tax breaks by mid-December.
“This was the only option on the table,” Sahin said, adding that the shutdown “highlighted the need to address the health care issue.”
Reactions and intra-party frictions in the Democrats
The decision caused strong resentment within Democrats, with top officials calling the deal a “mistake” and a “backsliding.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he could not “honestly support it,” while independent Bernie Sanders called it a “tragic mistake.” “Abandoning the fight for health care is a terrible mistake,” he specifically emphasized.
Sen. Chris Murphy (Conn.) emphasized that voters are “asking the party to take a strong stand.”
For his part, the chairman of the progressive wing in the House, Greg Cazar, called the deal “a betrayal of millions of Americans who rely on Democrats to lower health care costs.”
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed his support for Schumer, saying “the American people know we’re on the right side of this fight.”
What does the agreement provide?
The new bill reverses the mass layoffs of federal employees that began on Oct. 1 and guarantees full payment of back wages once the process is complete. At the same time, it protects civil servants from new layoffs until January.
The next political battle: Health and tax cuts
Despite the deal, it remains unclear whether Republicans and Democrats will be able to find common ground before a December vote on extending health care tax subsidies that expire at the end of the year.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Republicans are open to “reforms” of the so-called Affordable Care Act, but did not commit to bringing the issue up for debate and a vote. Some members of his party appear willing to support extending the subsidies, provided new income limits are imposed.
Republican Susan Collins, the chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, said she supported the idea, saying, “We have to act by the end of the year, and that’s exactly what the majority leader has promised.”
Other Republicans, led by Donald Trump, have rekindled their earlier rhetoric against the health care law, calling for it to be repealed or overhauled.
What’s next
The House of Representatives is expected to vote as early as Wednesday as its members gradually return to Washington. If approved there, the government would be fully operational again by the end of the week, ending a crisis that has paralyzed the federal administration and caused political upheaval on both sides of Congress.
