Senate Reaches Deal to End Shutdown

Senators have reached a deal to end the government shutdown.

The broad framework for agreement, which was negotiated in part by Sens. Angus King, Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan as well as GOP senators, has “more than enough” members of the Senate Democratic Caucus to advance, according to two people granted anonymity to disclose the terms.

The deal, said one of the people, was brokered between the Democratic negotiators, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the White House. Members of the Appropriations Committee were also closely involved and helped negotiate the terms.

As part of the deal, Democratic negotiators agreed to ensure at least eight members from their caucus would vote “yes” on procedural motions to advance the government funding package. That would provide certainty that the 60-vote procedural threshold is consistently met up until final passage, where only a simple majority is required.

The Senate is poised to vote later Sunday night to advance the House-passed stopgap, which will later become the vehicle for the larger funding deal. It still needs to pass the House before the government can be reopened.

The Sunday vote would pave the way for consideration later this week of a legislative package that would fund the Department of Agriculture and the FDA, the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction projects, and the operations of Congress, for the full fiscal year — the product of months of bipartisan, bicameral negotiations between top appropriators.

All other agencies would be funded through Jan. 30, according to the text of a continuing resolution released Sunday.

As part of Democrats’ agreement to end the shutdown, Thune is promising Senate Democrats a vote in mid-December to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that are due to expire at the end of the year without Congressional action. Democrats will also get to determine what extension bill receives that vote.

The government-opening agreement guarantees that federal employees laid off during the shutdown are re-hired and gives federal employees backpay. It also would require agencies to give written notice to Congress about the withdrawal of the so-called reduction-in-force notices issued during the funding lapse, plus provide the amount of back pay owed.

It would, as well, prevent some future firings with a blanket prohibition on reductions-in-force in any department or agency until at least the end date of the continuing resolution: Jan. 30, 2026.