US shutdown drama nears its end? Senate clears bill to reopen government after six tense weeks of political gridlock

A small group of moderate Democrats broke ranks to push through a deal that reopens the government, but at a steep political cost for their party.

After six weeks of gridlock and furloughed workers, the longest government shutdown in US history is finally inching toward an end. Late Monday night, the Senate voted to advance legislation to reopen the government, after a handful of moderate Democrats broke ranks and sided with Republicans — a move that could reopen agencies within days but leave deep rifts inside the Democratic Party.

The deal, brokered after marathon weekend negotiations, ensures government funding through late January and restores pay for federal employees laid off since October 1. But it comes at a cost: Democrats had to drop their demand for an immediate extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) health subsidies, a core priority for progressives.

A fragile deal, and some Democratic fallout

The Senate began its final votes Monday evening after three centrist senators, Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, and Independent Angus King of Maine, agreed to move the legislation forward. They were later joined by Tim Kaine of Virginia and Dick Durbin, John Fetterman, Catherine Cortez Masto, and Jacky Rosen.

That narrow margin, exactly the five votes Republicans needed broke the stalemate. The House, which has been on recess since mid-September, is expected to reconvene later this week to pass the same package.

House Speaker Mike Johnson urged lawmakers to 'return right now,' warning of weather-related travel delays, and said the chamber would take up the bill “as soon as the Senate sends it over.”

Why progressives are furious

For many Democrats, the deal felt like capitulation. The Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who voted against the legislation, told reporters he 'could not in good faith support it' after a two-hour meeting with his caucus.

Senators Bernie Sanders and Chris Murphy called the decision to drop the health care subsidy extension a 'mistake,' saying it undercut the party’s promise to lower health costs. The one-year extension of ACA tax credits failed in a 47–53 party-line vote earlier Monday, deepening the frustration on the left.

Outside the Senate, criticism was swift. Rep. Greg Casar, who heads the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said the compromise “betrays millions of Americans who expected Democrats to fight for them.”

The political math behind the compromise

Behind the scenes, Senate Majority Whip John Thune worked to secure the procedural votes by offering Democrats a symbolic promise, a mid-December vote on the health subsidy extension. But with no guarantee of success, the concession was largely political theatre designed to get the government back open.

The spending package funds essential services like food aid, veterans’ programs, and the legislative branch, while reversing mass firings of federal employees triggered by the shutdown. It also protects them from further layoffs until January.

Why the Senate blinked now

The political calculus shifted over the weekend when public anger began to rise sharply. Polls showed that both parties were taking the blame for the shutdown, but Democrats risked looking obstructionist as airports, food programs, and veterans’ benefits stalled.

By Sunday night, the moderates who had been negotiating quietly, led by Shaheen, Hassan, and King, decided enough was enough. Their defection isolated the progressive wing, but broke the legislative logjam.

Schumer’s balancing act

Schumer, long known for his dealmaking instincts, found himself squeezed between his party’s base and the need to appear pragmatic. While he opposed the final vote, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries publicly backed his approach, calling Schumer’s handling of the shutdown 'measured and principled.'

“The American people know we are on the right side of this fight,” Jeffries said, pointing to Democrats’ gains in recent local elections as validation.

What happens next

The House is expected to pass the Senate’s compromise later this week, sending it to President Donald Trump, who has signaled his support, saying, “We’re going to be opening up our country very quickly.”

Once signed, the measure would end the shutdown that began October 1, restore full operations across agencies, and give Congress until late January to hammer out a broader spending framework, and possibly revisit the health care subsidy issue.

But politically, the damage may linger. The six-week standoff has exposed deep divides within both parties: Republicans struggling to maintain unity, and Democrats split between pragmatism and principle.

As one Senate aide summed up bluntly as cited by the Associated Press: “The government might reopen, but the wounds inside Congress will take a lot longer to heal.”