Senate Votes on Measure to Temporarily Fund Government - What's Next?

The first major breakthrough in the fight to end the government shutdown happened late Sunday on Capitol Hill when the Senate advanced a federal funding measure. Here is the latest on the shutdown, as well as what you can expect to happen next.

Late-Night Senate Vote Offers Hope that Shutdown May End Soon

Eight Democratic senators' broke ranks and joined their GOP colleagues to push through a federal funding measure late Sunday night. In exchange, Republican leaders promised to hold a vote at a later time about the possibilities of extending the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.  The new stopgap measure would extend funding for the government until January 30, 2026.

Democrats and progressives who were not in support of the funding measure cite that there is no guarantee that the GOP will vote to extend the ACA subsidies, the key issue that had united the party about the shutdown. Senate Majority Leader John Thune only said that the chamber will hold a vote on whether to extend the subsidies by the middle of December. The block of Democrats that pushed through the measure said that this time would give members of the House and Senate time to negotiate a compromise without the pressure of the shutdown bearing down.

The adopted measure will only fund the government through January 30. Congress will need to agree to a long-term spending bill prior to this date to avoid another shutdown. However, the Democrats were able to include a provision that some critical programs would be extended through the end of 2026, regardless of the possibility of another funding pause. This ensures that programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) operate normally even if a new shutdown happens at the beginning of the year.

What Happens Next?

The big question on everyone's minds is what happens next in Washington, D.C.? Although the Senate passed the measure late Sunday, the chamber is still debating the issue before sending it to a final vote. As of Monday afternoon, the Senate GOP leaders had not scheduled the final vote that would send the bill on to the next step.

After the bill leaves the Senate, it will need to head back to the House for one last vote. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson summoned the representatives back to Washington, D.C.  for this vote, expected to be held on Wednesday. Johnson gave his members 36 hours to return to the nation's capital.

With a razor-thin GOP majority in the House, there is no guarantee that the measure will pass this chamber. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has vowed to try to convince his Democratic colleagues not to support the measure. Jeffries has been vocal in demands to add more health care protections to the final funding bill. On Monday, Jeffries confirmed that the House Democrats would meet on Monday to discuss their next moves.

The legislation will head to the desk of President Donald Trump for final approval should the House adopt the bill.

Pain as Shutdown Passes 40 Days

It is not clear how long it will take federal agencies to restore services once the president signs the legislation into law. While there is hope that a deal is on the horizon, it does not take away from the pain that millions of Americans are experiencing as the shutdown drags on past the 40-day mark.

A political and legal battle has unfolded surrounding the distribution of SNAP benefits to those in need. The Trump administration is arguing that it does not have to legally use the available emergency funds to issue payments for November. Some recipients received their full benefits over the weekend, while other Americans have been left without this crucial aid as the court arguments play out. The argument is now back in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, mass chaos continues to be the story across the nation's air network. Record levels of flight cancellations and delays were reported over the weekend after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered airlines to reduce flight loads.  Air traffic controllers and TSA screeners have been mandated to work without being paid during the shutdown, resulting in a high number of employees calling out sick.

President Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday, demanding that air traffic controllers immediately get back to work. The president warned that those who are not at work will face penalties. He also said that he was recommending a bonus of $10,000 for every controller who has not missed a day of work.

Aviation experts warn that airline operations will not return to normal once the shutdown ends. It will take days for the system to normalize.

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