House Vote Today Could End Government Shutdown
The House of Representatives is expected to vote later today on a compromise funding package that will reopen the federal government after 43 days — the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
The vote comes after a group of eight Senate Democrats agreed Monday, Nov. 10, to join with Republicans to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome the filibuster and pass a funding bill. The eight lawmakers include Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Angus King (I-ME), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was the sole Republican to vote against the bill, as he has long objected to any budget that would increase the national debt.
The agreement differs somewhat from the previous “clean” continuing resolution passed by the House in September, and, as such, requires another vote by the House before it can go to President Donald Trump’s desk. The final bill includes retroactive pay for 1.4 million workers who were furloughed or worked without pay during the shutdown and restores the federal workforce to pre-shutdown levels, reversing attempts by some agencies to reduce staffing. That will help bring federally employed air traffic controllers back to work, ending widespread flight cancellations that have plagued air travel for the past week after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered 40 of the country’s busiest airports to reduce traffic to maintain travel safety.
Most federal agencies will be funded through Jan. 30 — potentially setting up another shutdown confrontation in Congress just two months from now. However, the bill provides full fiscal year funding through Sept. 30, 2026, for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the legislative branch, veterans affairs, military construction, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) program. It also includes $203.5 million in new funding to improve security for legislators, $28 million for the protection of Supreme Court justices and an increase of $2.3 billion for veterans’ medical care.
While the resolution does not include the extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that Democrats had demanded, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) promised the chamber would vote on an ACA funding bill in December. The subsidies are set to expire at the end of 2025. Without an extension, premiums for ACA health care plans could increase by 75 percent on average, according to KFF, an independent health policy research firm.