US Senate votes to end longest-ever shutdown - what now?

After six weeks of political deadlock, the Senate voted to reopen the government, ending the longest shutdown in American history. But the deal has torn open deep rifts within the Democratic Party — and left the fate of healthcare subsidies uncertain.

The Big Picture

The US Senate on Monday (Nov 10) passed legislation to reopen the federal government after 41 days, ending a shutdown that left hundreds of thousands of workers unpaid, delayed food assistance, and crippled air travel.
The final vote — 60-40 — was secured only after five moderate Democrats joined Republicans to pass the bill, defying party leadership and progressive allies.

President Donald Trump has already endorsed the deal, calling it “a very good package” and promising to “open up the country very quickly.”
The House, which has been on recess since mid-September, will reconvene Wednesday to vote on the measure.

Driving the news

The standoff began on October 1, when Democrats refused to pass a funding bill that didn’t include an extension of federal healthcare tax credits expiring January 1. Republicans rejected the demand outright, insisting that no talks would happen while the government was shut down.

As the crisis deepened — with unpaid federal employees, mounting flight cancellations, and stalled food aid — a bloc of centrist Democrats finally broke ranks.

The five defectors — Jeanne Shaheen, Maggie Hassan, Angus King, Tim Kaine, and Dick Durbin — joined Republicans to advance a compromise deal that:

• Funds the government through late January 2026
• Reverses mass layoffs of federal employees carried out during the shutdown
• Protects against further layoffs through January
• Guarantees back pay for all furloughed workers

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has kept the chamber out of session since mid-September, urged lawmakers to return immediately, declaring:
“It appears our long national nightmare is finally coming to an end.”

Why it matters

The deal may reopen the government, but it’s fractured the Democratic coalition. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer voted against it, saying he could not “in good faith” back a plan that ignored healthcare relief. Progressive icons like Bernie Sanders and Chris Murphy called the compromise a “horrific mistake,” warning that voters who handed Democrats major wins in last week’s elections wanted them to hold firm. Representative Greg Casar, who heads the Congressional Progressive Caucus, went further — calling the Senate deal a “betrayal” of Americans counting on Democrats to lower healthcare costs. But moderates defended their decision as an act of governance, not surrender. “This was the option on the table,” said Shaheen. “The shutdown raised awareness about healthcare, and this gives us a path to keep that conversation going.”

The divide now defines two wings of the party:

• Pragmatists, who see reopening government as a civic duty
• Purists, who view compromise with Trump’s Republicans as moral capitulation
• The next battle: health care subsidies

Republicans promised to hold a Senate vote by mid-December on extending the expiring health care tax credits. But there’s no guarantee it will pass — or even reach the House.

Speaker Johnson has said Republicans are open to “reforming the unaffordable care act,” but stopped short of promising a vote.

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins said she supports extending the credits “with new income caps” — a signal that some bipartisan middle ground may be possible. Still, Trump and hardline conservatives have renewed calls to dismantle the Affordable Care Act entirely.

On Monday night, Democrats attempted a last-minute amendment to extend the subsidies for one year — it failed 47–53 along party lines.

The big picture

The 41-day closure was the longest government shutdown in US history, surpassing the 2019 record.

• Roughly 800,000 federal workers went without pay.
• Food aid, airport operations, and public health programmes were disrupted nationwide.
• The Senate compromise ended the immediate crisis but postponed the core fight over healthcare subsidies to December.
• Democrats are now split over strategy, with moderates touting pragmatism and progressives accusing them of caving to Trump.

Bottom line

The US government is reopening — but Washington’s divisions are only deepening.
What was meant to be a bipartisan rescue has instead turned into a test of Democratic unity and political nerve.

Come December, when the healthcare vote returns, the same question will echo through the Capitol:
How much compromise is too much?