Senate Democrats signaled on Sunday night that they expect to have enough votes to advance legislation to reopen the federal government, following a shutdown that has stretched on for 40 days. The announcement came after a lengthy closed-door caucus meeting in which lawmakers reviewed the terms of a bipartisan deal negotiated in recent days.
The agreement was shaped largely by a group of centrist Democrats working alongside a coalition of Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Sen. Angus King of Maine, an independent who aligns with Democrats, played a key role in the discussions, along with Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire. On the Republican side, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine helped steer talks intended to break the impasse.
Following the caucus gathering, King indicated that Democratic support had coalesced around the measure. He pointed to growing frustration among lawmakers over the prolonged shutdown, noting that many in the caucus had come to believe that further delay would only intensify its impact on federal workers and public services.
According to those involved in negotiations, much of the agreement’s framework had been under discussion for weeks, but Democrats had held out hope of securing an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies set to expire in January. Negotiators determined that Republican leadership was unlikely to agree to attach the subsidy extension to the bill reopening the government. However, the deal includes a commitment from Senate Majority Leader John Thune to hold a vote on the subsidy issue later in the year, giving Democrats another opportunity to pursue it in November.
Supporters of the agreement within the Democratic caucus emphasized the urgency of halting the shutdown, citing the financial strain on federal employees and disruptions to government operations. They argued that reopening the government now would allow negotiations to continue without worsening economic and administrative consequences.
Still, the agreement does not have unanimous Democratic backing. Several lawmakers, including Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, indicated they would oppose the measure. These senators expressed concern that a future vote on subsidies offers no assurance of actual policy action and believe the issue should be resolved before the government is reopened.
The Senate plans to reconvene Sunday evening for a vote. If approved, the legislation would move to the House of Representatives, which has not held a vote since mid-September. Should both chambers pass the bill, it would then go to President Donald Trump for consideration and signature.
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