Eight Democrats face their own party in the Senate, key to Congress starting to lift government shutdown

With the votes of eight Democrats who were at odds with their party and gave in to some of their demands. US Senate reaches first major agreement This is to resolve the longest government shutdown in history. The government shutdown has now crippled public sector finances for 40 days, causing hundreds of thousands of employees to stop receiving paychecks and disrupting airports, causing significant disruption to air transport and other services.

The vote to end the paralysis took place on Sunday night. When eight moderate Democratic senators broke with their party position. And they capitulated to a key demand: a broad extension of health care subsidies established by Obamacare.

Democrats had called for a new budget law to extend the Affordable Care Act, which is set to expire at the end of the year. However, the current agreement specifies the date as December. The Senate is scheduled to vote on the bill in December, but there is no guarantee that it will be extended.

Although House approval is still pending, President Donald Trump congratulated the Senate on the important step, especially because Republicans did not bow to Democratic pressure. “We are going to open the country soon.” he said in the Oval Office. He added: “The agreement is very good.”

On the contrary, the agreement was rejected by some key leaders and members of the progressive opposition; They accused their more moderate colleagues of a disastrous capitulationgiving Trump a victory and turning his back on millions of Americans who are struggling to pay for health insurance.

“I will not support an agreement that does nothing to make health care more accessible.”Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a prominent progressive, wrote in X magazine, “We are in a health emergency… Voting for this bill was a mistake.”

The senators who voted against their party’s majority are: Angus King From Maine, tim kane of Virginia, dick durbin of Illinois, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, maggie hassan And J.Ian Shaheen of New Hampshire, catherine cortez mast and jackie rosen of Nevada. None of them will be re-elected in 2026, and two of them will retire at the end of their terms.

They argued: shutdown”“People are suffering too much,” he said. “The law is not perfect, but it is an important step towards alleviating suffering,” he said, citing, for example, difficulties in accessing food vouchers and disruptions at airports due to a lack of air traffic controllers, which led to around 5,000 flights being canceled this weekend.

Senate Democratic leaders were split on the vote, with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer voting against the deal and No. 2, Chuck Schumer voting against it. Sen. Dick Durbin also supported it.

Beyond the controversial issue of medical subsidies; The agreement provides funding to the government and guarantees paychecks for federal workers through Jan. 30. Those who were furloughed and those who worked without pay during the government shutdown. It would also reverse President Trump’s federal employee layoffs during the government shutdown and fund food stamps through 2026.

Once the bill passes the Senate, the Republican-controlled House will have to reconvene for a vote on the bill, which is estimated to only happen on Wednesday.

Political newness is Many Democrats are bowing to pressure They could not achieve what they had been fighting for for weeks. Democrats argued that extending Obamacare subsidies was a must, but received no promises. The biggest goal they can achieve is a vote in the Senate. With Republicans holding a majority in the Senate, there is no guarantee that the subsidy extension bill will pass. And the prospect of the House, also a Republican, backing him seems even more remote.

Progressive Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said the deal risks creating a “political and public policy disaster.” And he added: “In my opinion, it would be a big mistake to give in to Trump now.”

Most Democrats argued that last Tuesday’s big wins in the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races, as well as the New York mayoral race, gave them room to negotiate in Congress. They noted that polls showed Americans supported a candidate who harshly criticized President Trump, citing the soaring cost of living.

But now, when Congress has to protect health care costs, opinion polls show that a majority of voters They blamed President Trump for the government shutdown and agreed with the Democratic Party’s position.

But another view was that Democrats risked losing incremental political gains if public opinion also turned against them, as the effects could spread quickly and Thanksgiving weekend travel could be disrupted within just days.

Once the Senate approves funding, debate will move to the House, chaired by Speaker Mike Johnson. Agreement must be pushed through a divided Republican caucus.Perhaps with help from Trump himself.

If this agreement passes Congress and is signed into law by President Trump, It’s not yet clear how quickly the agency can restore service. For tens of millions of Americans affected by the shutdown, from loss of federal food assistance to child care closures to delayed wage payments.

“After almost six weeks of closure, I am optimistic that we can finally end the shutdown,” Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said.