Hope for ending US government shutdown rises, but key vote rule still blocks quick fix

Hope for ending US government shutdown rises, but key vote rule still blocks quick fix

On Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, US senators from both parties said a bipartisan deal to reopen the federal government is within reach, even as they cautioned that negotiations remain delicate. The shutdown, tied with the longest on record at 35 days and poised to surpass it, has furloughed thousands and forced critical staff such as air-traffic controllers to work without pay, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune outlined a pathway that pairs a short-term reopening bill with progress on several of the 12 annual spending measures. To woo Democrats, he floated guaranteeing a vote on extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that are expiring, presenting it as a pragmatic way to break the impasse and move appropriations forward.

Most Democrats left a closed-door caucus with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tight-lipped, though centrists Jeanne Shaheen and Gary Peters struck a cautiously upbeat tone. Some in the caucus want firmer assurances. Senator Ruben Gallego said he wouldn’t back a funding bill that only promises a later vote on ACA subsidies, reflecting broader Democratic scepticism about relying on “show votes.”

President Trump escalated demands that Republicans abolish the Senate filibuster to pass a GOP reopening plan without Democrats, inviting all GOP senators to the White House for breakfast on Wednesday as the shutdown enters day 36. Thune and other GOP leaders remain cool to the idea, noting the votes aren’t there to end the 60-vote threshold, though a few Republicans now say prolonged gridlock is testing their resistance.

With the House’s earlier continuing resolution through Nov. 21 now moot, senators are discussing new dates that stretch into December or January to allow time for full-year bills and an ACA negotiation. House Speaker Mike Johnson has signalled opposition to a December deadline, arguing it invites a last-minute “Christmas omnibus,” and prefers a January extension instead.

Any Senate deal must clear Johnson’s conference, which has so far backed a more hard-line approach. Several senators suggested talks could accelerate now that gubernatorial and mayoral races in New Jersey, Virginia and New York City have concluded, removing a political distraction and clarifying leverage.

The funding lapse has begun to ripple: SNAP benefits face interruptions, federal workers are missing paychecks (with back pay due after reopening), and agency operations are slowing or halting. Lawmakers on both sides say the window for avoiding deeper damage narrows by the day, adding pressure to land a short-term fix paired with tangible progress on longer-term appropriations.

If negotiations firm up, senators believe the shutdown could end by the weekend. The central trade remains the same: Republicans want a clean reopening with momentum on spending bills, while Democrats want concrete action—beyond a promise—on ACA subsidies. Whether Trump’s anti-filibuster push reshapes that calculus, or whether leaders can corral votes for a bipartisan lane, will determine if the record-setting shutdown finally ends.