Progress in Ending Longest U.S. Government Shutdown: Senate Passes Bill

International Desk | PNN

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history, ongoing for five consecutive weeks, is on the verge of ending. Monday night, the Senate passed a crucial spending bill that, once approved, will partially reopen government operations and allow hundreds of thousands of federal employees to receive back pay.

The spending bill passed in the Senate with a 60–40 vote. It includes funding to keep the government operational until January 30. The bill will now go to the House of Representatives and, after the signature of President Donald Trump, officially end the shutdown.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he wants the vote completed by Wednesday and urged lawmakers to return to Washington immediately.

The shutdown began on October 1 due to a lack of budget approval, halting funding for key sectors such as food aid, defense, veterans, agriculture, and internal congressional operations. The new bill includes allocations for these sectors for the next three years.

However, the most controversial issue regarding healthcare subsidies—the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), covering 24 million Americans—was not resolved in this deal. Republicans only promised to hold a separate vote on the matter in December.

Analysts say this is essentially a “stopgap” agreement, meaning the shutdown is temporarily suspended, but a new crisis could arise in January. David Smith, Associate Professor at the University of Sydney’s U.S. Studies Center, warned, “If a vote on healthcare subsidies does not occur by January, the risk of another shutdown remains.”

Eight senators—seven Democrats and one independent—who voted for the bill faced party backlash. They are: Dick Durbin (Illinois), Angus King (Maine), John Fetterman (Pennsylvania), Catherine Cortez Masto and Jackie Rosen (Nevada), Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire), and Tim Kaine (Virginia).

Many Democrats felt that, after recent electoral successes, such concessions should not have been made. Illinois Governor and potential 2028 presidential candidate J.B. Pritzker described the agreement as an “empty promise.”

Meanwhile, Senator Fetterman told NBC News, “We prioritized the country over the party. Doing politics at the expense of the food security of two million Americans is not responsible.”

The shutdown had major impacts on food aid, healthcare, and aviation. Due to absent air traffic controllers, the Federal Aviation Administration announced a 10% reduction in flights last week. Many federal employees had to work without pay.

If healthcare subsidies remain suspended, premiums for 20 million Americans could double by 2026, warned the Kaiser Family Foundation. The Congressional Budget Office also estimated that an additional 15 million Americans could lose health coverage by 2034.

Senator Bernie Sanders said on the Senate floor, “Our healthcare system is the most expensive and inhumane in the world. This bill only deepens that failure.”