Speaker Johnson says House will return to Washington for voting on shutdown deal

Senate Democrats Break 40-Day Stalemate, Clearing Path to End Government Shutdown

Speaker Mike Johnson announced Monday that House lawmakers should return to Washington immediately after a small group of Senate Democrats joined Republicans to advance legislation that would end the 40-day government shutdown.

“The nightmare is finally coming to an end,” Johnson declared at a Monday news conference. “We have to do this as quickly as possible.” Johnson has kept the House out of session since mid-September when it passed a bill to continue government funding.

The breakthrough came Sunday evening when the Senate voted 60-40 to consider a compromise funding bill after weeks of negotiations. Eight Democratic senators broke ranks with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, providing the exact number of votes Republicans needed to move forward.

Three former governors—Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, along with Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine—led the effort to end the impasse. They were joined by Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine of Virginia, Dick Durbin of Illinois, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and Nevada Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen.

The moderate Democrats agreed to reopen the government without a guaranteed extension of Affordable Care Act health care subsidies that expire January 1—a key demand Democrats had held firm on for six weeks. Instead, Senate Majority Leader John Thune promised a mid-December vote on the subsidies, though there’s no guarantee of passage.

Schumer voted against the deal along with most of his caucus, vowing, “We will not give up the fight. We have now sounded the alarm on health care.”

The compromise package includes several bipartisan appropriations bills to fund critical areas like food aid, veterans programs, and the legislative branch. All other government funding would be extended until late January, giving lawmakers more than two months to finalize additional spending measures.

Importantly, the agreement also reverses mass layoffs of federal workers that occurred during the shutdown and ensures back pay for affected employees. It also protects against future reductions in force through January.

Many Democrats criticized the deal as capitulation. Sen. Bernie Sanders called it a “horrific mistake,” while Rep. Greg Casar, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, described it as a “betrayal” of millions of Americans counting on Democrats to fight for affordable health care.

“Accepting nothing but a pinky promise from Republicans isn’t a compromise—it’s capitulation,” Casar posted on social media.

Despite this internal dissent, the government could reopen within days if the process moves smoothly. However, Thune acknowledged he was still working through concerns from Republican senators about provisions in the underlying spending bills. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul had threatened to object to a hemp-product regulation championed by his colleague, Sen. Mitch McConnell.

President Trump has not explicitly committed to signing the legislation but indicated support Sunday evening, telling reporters, “It looks like we’re getting close to the shutdown ending.”

The shutdown’s impacts have intensified in recent weeks. U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights on Sunday—the highest number since the shutdown began—with over 7,000 delays reported by FlightAware. Treasury Secretary Sean Duffy warned that without reopening the government, air travel ahead of Thanksgiving would be “reduced to a trickle.”

Meanwhile, food assistance programs have faced significant disruptions. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits have been caught in legal battles related to the shutdown, delaying aid to tens of millions of Americans. In Washington, D.C., home to thousands of unpaid federal workers, the Capital Area Food Bank reported it is providing 8 million more meals ahead of the holidays than budgeted—a nearly 20% increase.

The health care subsidies remain a contentious issue for future negotiations. While some Republicans have expressed openness to extending the COVID-era tax credits that make health insurance more affordable, they want new limitations on eligibility. Speaker Johnson did not commit to bringing such legislation to the House floor, saying only that Republicans have “always been open to voting to reform” what he called the “unaffordable care act.”

As Washington prepares for the government to reopen, the political fallout from the shutdown and its resolution will likely continue to reverberate through the upcoming holiday season and into the new year.