Understanding the preliminary agreement to unlock the US government in 6 points

• In the preliminary vote: US senators approve deal to end ‘shutdown’ in US
• During “shutdown”: Trump administration urges states to ‘cancel’ efforts to fully pay food aid

The strike is not over yet. Sunday’s vote was 60-40, paving the way for the Senate to formally debate the spending bill before a final vote. Even if approved, the package would need to pass the House, which has been in an extended recess and no resumption date has yet been set, and be signed by President Donald Trump.

Still, the deal reached by senators Sunday night reflects important lessons for both parties in the fight over the government shutdown and is likely to have an impact on political and public policy long after the government is restarted. Let’s understand it in 6 points.

Democratic unity is being suppressed.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York kept Democrats united for 40 days as the government shutdown reached an all-time high. But that discipline would not last forever, collapsing without Democrats achieving what they claimed was a key campaign demand: extending health insurance subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year.

A group of moderate senators who have broken with the party say they can no longer insist on a deal while Americans continue to suffer the effects of government paralysis. They cited a promise by Republican leader Sen. John Thune of South Dakota to hold a vote on the tax credit at least in December.

–The bill is not perfect, but it takes important steps to reduce the damage from the shutdown, Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat, said in a statement explaining his support for the deal.

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Still, the promise of a vote does not guarantee passage of the bill. Any measures to address health care subsidies face significant hurdles in the Republican-controlled Congress, especially given President Trump’s frequent attacks on the Affordable Care Act.

As a result, the deal exposed deep divisions within the Democratic Party. Schumer dryly told reporters he would not vote for the bill because it lacked a health care provision, and reiterated his opposition on the Senate floor.

In the House, Democratic lawmakers, including the minority leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, criticized the deal as insufficient.

“House Democrats have consistently insisted that any bipartisan bill that funds the government must also decisively address the health crisis created by Republicans,” he said in a statement.

Health remains in the spotlight

Since Republicans passed a domestic policy package earlier this year that included deep cuts to Medicaid, Democrats have focused their attacks on their rivals on health care, especially with an eye on next year’s midterm elections.

Attempts to obtain health concessions in the strike agreement failed. At a time when Americans say they are worried about health care costs, health insurance premiums are expected to rise, at least for the foreseeable future.

But there are also signs of political hope for Democrats. Republicans will now be under pressure to adopt measures to reduce these costs or face voters who, according to polling, largely support such initiatives.

Once a deal is reached and the government shutdown ends, the focus will turn to a vote on extending the health care tax credit promised by Thune, but Democrats have made clear they will continue to pressure Republicans on the issue.

–We will fight in the legislative arena, in the states, in the courts, and in elections, Schumer said during the plenary session. — Health care costs had a big impact on the 2025 election, and are sure to have an even bigger impact in 2026.

In a sign that Democrats expect health issues to be at the center of political debate, all Democratic senators up for re-election next year voted against the deal.

The eight people who supported the vote include senators who can afford to face political criticism, and two of them (New Hampshire’s Durbin and Jeanne Shaheen) are retiring. The remaining three candidates, John Fetterman (Pennsylvania), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nevada), and Maggie Hassan (New Hampshire), will only face electors again in 2028. The remaining three, Tim Kaine (Virginia), Jacky Rosen (Nevada), and Angus King (Maine), are eligible only in 2030.

President Trump’s pressure strategy worked

For weeks, Thune had proposed a vote on extending health care benefits to Democrats. They only relented after the Trump administration said the effects of the government shutdown were too painful to ignore.

When asked what ultimately led Democrats to decide to leave the party, Maine independent Sen. Angus King, who negotiated with Democrats and helped build a deal, simply replied, “The damage was becoming unsustainable.”

While polls show voters blaming Republicans more (something Trump himself acknowledged last week), some Democrats concluded they’d had enough.

“We need to extend the Affordable Care Act’s tax credit expansion, but we can’t do it at the expense of the millions of Americans affected by the government shutdown,” Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto said in a statement.

Presidents typically focus on demonstrating their determination to end the shutdown by pressuring Congressional leaders to negotiate a solution. That wasn’t the case with Trump. During the shutdown, he did not invite Democratic leaders to the White House for negotiations. Nor did he go to the National Diet Building to demonstrate leadership.

Instead, he used social media to foment gridlock and urge Republicans to stand their ground. He personally reinforced his message during two meetings at the White House. He said Democrats would not budge and urged Republicans to find a way out, including eliminating legislative debate, as the fallout from the government shutdown mounts.

On Sunday night, as the deal took shape, President Trump attended a football game in Maryland. His only comment to reporters upon returning to the White House was, “It looks like we’re getting pretty close to the end of the shutdown.” Still, Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma said the White House approved the deal.

Republican leadership also absent

House Speaker Mike Johnson led Republicans in passing a temporary measure to fund the government on September 19th. He then sent the bill to the Senate and ordered lawmakers to return to their districts.

They remained outside for several weeks while Johnson insisted there was no reason to negotiate further as the House of Commons had “done its role”. As a result, he ended up alienating himself and Congress.

Thun stuck to his original proposal of short-term measures to maintain current funding levels. Throughout the government shutdown, he argued that Democrats were irrational and that there was no reason to spend government money on health care.

Ultimately, it was up to the party’s moderate wing to strike a deal to reopen the government, but Thune sounded more like a bystander than a leader.

Although the main focus was on health care, Senate Democrats managed to win some concessions as they battle the Trump administration’s efforts to restructure and weaken the federal structure.