Eight Senate Democrats join Republicans to end government shutdown

WASHINGTON, DC: On Sunday, the US Senate took a major step toward ending its longest-ever government shutdown when members of the Senate Democratic Caucus voted with Republicans to advance a funding deal. The move marked a break from party leadership, which opposed the measure.

Senate moves closer to ending government shutdown

Eight Democratic senators crossed party lines to vote for advancing the deal to reopen the federal government. The group’s decision reflected growing impatience with the shutdown’s toll on federal workers and local economies.

Several of these senators have a history of bipartisan cooperation. Many previously held state-level offices, including four former governors, and represent swing states. Two are retiring at the end of their current terms, while two others serve on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. 

Eight Democrats who joined to end the shutdown

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada has voted 15 times to end the shutdown, even before Democrats secured a promise for a vote on health care tax credits. She told reporters that reopening the government was “key to stopping that pain,” describing long food bank lines across Nevada.

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said in a statement, “This bill is not perfect, but it takes important steps to reduce the shutdown’s hurt.” Durbin, who is retiring next year after three decades in office, added that Democrats had secured key wins and called on Majority Leader John Thune to schedule a December vote on Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits.

Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who has consistently voted to end the shutdown, criticized his party for triggering it in the first place. He said the impasse hurt government workers and low-income families dependent on federal aid.

Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, one of the Democrats who helped negotiate the ACA tax credit deal, said she had heard from residents struggling with rising insurance costs and the shutdown’s financial strain. 

Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia called the legislation a “crucial step” to protect federal workers from wrongful terminations and ensure back pay. Kaine said he joined the bipartisan group “48 hours ago, not for lack of interest.”

Sen. Angus King of Maine, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, played a key role in securing a commitment for a vote on ACA tax credits. “We are closer to the possibility of work on the ACA tax credits than we were a week ago,” King said Sunday.

Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada voted to move the measure forward, citing the 95,000 Nevadans who rely on ACA tax credits.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire said, “This was the only deal on the table. It was our best chance to reopen the government and immediately begin negotiations to extend the ACA tax credits.”.

Deal to reopen government

The breakthrough came after a group of centrist Democrats negotiated an agreement to reopen the government in exchange for a December vote on expiring health care subsidies. The package includes a stopgap funding bill to keep the government open through January and funds food aid and the legislative branch for the next year.

The legislation must still pass the House of Representatives and be signed by President Donald Trump, a process expected to take several days.