What to know on Day 41 of the government shutdown
- The Senate is returning to Capitol Hill after voting late Sunday night to advance a House-passed short-term funding measure to end the government shutdown, the first step in finalizing a deal that would end the impasse.
- Eight Democrats joined most Senate Republicans to advance the bill, but a final vote is still likely several days away. It would still need the approval of the House. House GOP leaders told members to be prepared to vote this week. The Senate will reconvene at 11 a.m.
- The coalition that advanced the measure is seeking to amend the legislation to extend government funding through January and pass a trio of longer-term spending bills. As part of the deal to move forward, Senate Republicans promised to hold a vote at a future date on extending health insurance tax credits under the Affordable Care Act, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Republicans have said they will oppose any extension, and health insurance premiums are set to soar for the millions of Americans who rely on the ACA for coverage.
- Most Senate Democrats opposed moving forward on the deal because it does not address the health care tax credits, their key demand throughout the shutdown fight. News of the agreement angered many Democratic lawmakers and members of the party's base, who accused the eight Senate Democrats of conceding the shutdown fight with no tangible progress on health care.
"We stood up to President Trump for 40 days," Shaheen says
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, one of the Democrats who voted to advance the measure on Sunday night, told "CBS Mornings" that "keeping the government shut down for another week or another month doesn't indicate that there would be any change in the outcome." Shaheen was one of the main Democratic negotiators in the talks that produced the deal.
"We stood up to President Trump for 40 days, and let's remember why we're in this position: It's because President Trump and Republicans in the Senate and House refused to fund health care to keep costs affordable," Shaheen said.
Shaheen cited the federal employees who have been going without paychecks, as well as SNAP recipients whose benefits had been in question, as reasons for her support of the proposal.
While the eight Democrats who voted for the deal have been criticized by others in their party — as has Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for allowing it happen — Shaheen insisted that those critical should instead be focused on Mr. Trump and Republicans.
"The fact is, what this agreement is going to do is it's going to force Speaker Johnson to bring the House back in. He's been out since the beginning of September," Shaheen said.
Here are the 8 Democrats who voted to move forward on the funding bill
The final vote on advancing the House-passed continuing resolution was 60 to 40.
Eight Democrats joined all but one Republican to move forward on the bill:
- Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada
- Dick Durbin of Illinois
- John Fetterman of Pennsylvania
- Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire
- Tim Kaine of Virginia
- Angus King of Maine, an independent who caucuses with Democrats
- Jacky Rosen of Nevada
- Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire
GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the sole Republican to vote against advancing the measure.
House leaders tell members to be prepared to vote this week
House members were notified late Sunday that votes related to government funding are expected in the lower chamber this week, pending final passage of the funding measure in the Senate.
The whip notice said members will be given 36 hours' notice of a vote.
The House last voted on Sept. 19.
Senate advances funding bill in breakthrough toward ending shutdown
The Senate voted to advance a House-passed measure to fund the government late Sunday evening, marking a key breakthrough in the stalemate and paving the way to reopen the government later this week.
In a 60 to 40 vote, eight Democrats joined Republicans to advance the House-passed measure, which had fallen short on 14 previous votes.
Senate GOP leaders are expected to move to amend the legislation to attach a package of full-year appropriations bills as part of a deal to end the shutdown, along with an extension of the temporary funding measure to keep the government funded through January.
The vote marks the start of what could be a lengthy series of procedural votes in the Senate, since any one senator can slow the process down. Once through the Senate, the House would also have to approve the legislation before it could receive the president's signature.
