Senate Takes First Step to End Government Shutdown After Six-Week Standoff

The Senate voted 60-40 Sunday to advance legislation that would end the nearly six-week government shutdown, after a small group of moderate Democrats broke ranks with their party leadership to move the measure forward without guarantees for extending Affordable Care Act subsidies.

The breakthrough came when three former governors—New Hampshire Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, along with Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine—agreed to a compromise package that would advance three bipartisan annual spending bills while extending the rest of government funding until late January. In exchange, they secured a promise for a mid-December vote on extending health care tax credits set to expire January 1.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and most of his caucus opposed the deal, with just eight Democrats voting to advance the legislation. Many Democrats expressed frustration that the agreement fails to guarantee the extension of the health care subsidies that had been their central demand throughout the shutdown.

“We’ve held firm for almost six weeks because Americans need these subsidies,” said one Democratic senator who requested anonymity to speak candidly. “Walking away now undermines everything we’ve been fighting for.”

The agreement includes provisions to reverse the mass firings of federal workers implemented by the Trump administration since the shutdown began October 1 and ensures back pay for affected employees. Final passage could still take several days if Democrats use procedural tactics to delay the process.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune quickly endorsed the deal as the shutdown continued to cause widespread disruption. Air travel across the country has faced significant delays and cancellations, food assistance programs serving millions of Americans are threatened, and hundreds of thousands of federal workers remain without paychecks.

President Donald Trump, returning to the White House Sunday evening after attending a football game, seemed optimistic but noncommittal about the agreement. “It looks like we’re getting close to the shutdown ending,” he told reporters without explicitly endorsing the deal.

The shutdown has caused mounting economic consequences since it began on October 1. The Federal Aviation Administration has reported staffing shortages at multiple air traffic control facilities, leading to cascading flight delays. Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture has warned that funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps feed over 40 million Americans, could be exhausted by month’s end without new appropriations.

In other developments, the White House is preparing to host Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Monday in a historic diplomatic engagement. It marks the first visit to the White House by a Syrian head of state since the country gained independence from France in 1946.

Al-Sharaa, who led rebel forces that toppled former President Bashar Assad last December and became interim leader in January, was once linked to al-Qaida and had a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head. The visit comes after the U.S. lifted sanctions imposed during the decades-long Assad family rule.

Trump first met al-Sharaa in May during a visit to Saudi Arabia—the first official encounter between the U.S. and Syria since 2000, when former President Bill Clinton met with Hafez Assad, Bashar’s father. Al-Sharaa is expected to seek permanent repeal of the Caesar Act sanctions, which would require congressional action despite the current temporary waiver granted by the Trump administration.

Internationally, the United Nations climate conference (COP30) is set to begin Monday in Brazil, with leaders emphasizing urgency and cooperation after more than three decades of efforts to combat global warming. The U.S. delegation will be notably diminished, as the Trump administration prepares to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement for a second time and has opted not to send high-level negotiators to the talks.