Senate passes funding deal motion

the Senate Late Sunday night, the first phase of a deal that would end the conflict passed US government shutdownWhich started on October 1st.

The procedural measure allowing other votes essential to the agreement to take place from Monday was approved with a minimum of 60 yes votes, after eight senators in the Senate. democratic The caucus broke with the party leadership to support the deal.

Voting remained open in the Senate chamber for more than two hours to allow the final “yes” vote to be cast Senator John CornynRepublican from Texas, who headed to Washington, D.C., on Sunday evening to attend the session.

Senators erupted in applause when Cornyn walked in to vote in favor of the measure, just before 10:50 p.m. ET.

The agreement, reached after round-the-clock negotiations over the weekend, would fund the US government until the end of January.

The deal does not include what was the main demand for it Democrats: Enhanced extension Affordable Care Act The tax breaks, which are scheduled to expire at the end of December.

But the agreement, for the first time since the shutdown began, includes a guarantee from Republicans to vote in December on a Democratic-chosen bill to extend those subsidies, which more than 20 million Americans are using to reduce the cost of health insurance plans purchased online. Anti-Corruption Commission Markets.

The agreement needs to be approved by the House of Representatives and signed by the President to become law Donald Trump Before the lockdown ends.

The deal calls for reversing all permanent layoffs of government employees during the shutdown and protecting so-called cuts in effect through the end of fiscal year 2026.

It also ensures that all federal workers will receive their regular paychecks during the shutdown, when many were not allowed to work.

The package includes provisions for a bipartisan budget process and preventing the White House from using continuing resolutions to fund the government.

It will also finance the project, until September Snap programWhich helps feed 42 million Americans through it Food stamps.

The Trump administration said last week it would not pay SNAP benefits in November because of the shutdown, and on Friday obtained a temporary order from the Supreme Court blocking a federal judge’s ruling requiring full SNAP benefits to be paid to beneficiaries this month. The administration said it would pay only partial benefits.

With Cornyn not on the floor, voting was halted for more than 25 minutes at 56 votes and 40 votes, with three other GOP senators, Rick Scott of Florida, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Mike Lee of Utah, not voting for reasons that are unclear.

The three eventually voted yes, in quick succession, after they talked to them Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

One Republican, Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted against the measure.

“After 40 long days, I hope we can end the lockdown,” Thune said before the vote.

Thune’s efforts to pass a continuing resolution to reopen the government had failed in 14 previous votes before Sunday night.

Thune negotiated the deal with the White House and three members of the Democratic caucus, Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, both Democrats from New Hampshire, and Independent Senator Angus King of Maine.

Other Democrats who voted in favor of the deal were party whips Dick Durbin of Illinois, Katherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Jacky Rosen and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and Tim Kaine of Virginia.

Senator Bernie Sanders, One Vermont independent who met with Democrats called the deal “horrible” and said Republicans agreeing to schedule a vote next month on ACA appropriations was “a completely meaningless gesture.”

King, during a news conference while voting was still ongoing, said he would tell his constituents that he agreed to drop the main demand of extending the ACA’s credit “because it was not successful.”

“It’s been six weeks,” King said. “Republicans have made clear they will not discuss health care, and the Affordable Care Act tax credits, until the shutdown ends.

“Will it change in a week or another week or after Thanksgiving or Christmas? And there’s no evidence that that will change,” he said. “What there is evidence of is the damage the lockdown is doing to the country.”

“This was the only deal on the table,” Shaheen said at the same press conference.

“It was our best opportunity to reopen the government and immediately begin negotiations to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits that tens of millions of Americans rely on to keep costs low,” Shaheen said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck SchumerA New York Democrat said, in angry statements on the Senate floor, that he would not vote in favor of the deal.

Schumer criticized Republicans and Trump for refusing to agree to an extension of the ACA’s appropriations, which he said would lead to higher health insurance costs for millions of people in 2026.

“This health care crisis is so acute, so urgent, and so devastating to families back home that I cannot, in good faith, support this.” [continuing resolution] “This fails to address the health care crisis,” Schumer said.

“I’ve long said that in order to win my vote, we need to be on the path to fixing the Republicans’ health care mess and protecting the federal workforce,” Kaine said, before voting to support the deal.

“This deal ensures a vote to extend the Affordable Care Act’s premium tax credits, which Republicans have not been willing to do,” Kaine said.

“Lawmakers know that their constituents expect them to vote for them, and if they don’t, they could be replaced at the ballot box by someone who will.”

A strong majority of Americans favor extending the enhanced subsidies approved during the Covid-19 pandemic.