One thing is for sure: progressive Democrats are not satisfied.
Senate signs deal to end historic government shutdown
Lawmakers agree to end longest government shutdown in history and reopen government through January 30th
WASHINGTON – A record U.S. government shutdown appears to be coming to an end after more than a month of Washington’s traffic jams caused major pain on Main Street.
For many in Washington and across the country, the news is welcome news after the impasse has led to furloughs and layoffs for hundreds of thousands of federal workers and left millions more Americans unable to travel, afford food or send their children to kindergarten.
Still, not everyone got what they wanted in the final deal.
Senate Democrats have backed away from long-standing health policy demands. Republicans, who want more spending cuts, are not thrilled with President Donald Trump’s White House.
It all adds up to Politics 101. That means there will always be winners and losers.
winner
Moderate Democratic Party: Moderate Democrats like New Hampshire Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan were happy to see a deal finally reached Sunday night. Shaheen called his decision to move forward with amendments to the funding bill “a major step forward in protecting health care for tens of millions of Americans.”
Moderates in the party have been itching to restart negotiations and negotiate with Republicans for weeks. Bipartisan behind-the-scenes maneuvering has waxed and waned, but was noticeably curtailed by the Democratic Party’s landslide victory in last week’s election.
Federal employees: The agreement is a boon for federal employees, including air traffic controllers, who have not been paid several times since the government shutdown on Oct. 1. Hundreds of thousands of people have been furloughed and others are working without pay. The contract guarantees everyone’s repayments.
The agreement also cancels the layoffs of more than 4,000 federal employees across the government who were laid off after the government shutdown began. These dismissals were subsequently suspended by the court. If passed, the bill would restore the Department of Education’s special education division, among many other departments that have disappeared.
republican (something like): Some Republican leaders, like Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, were excited to see a compromise reached. She was a key driver of bipartisan negotiations to end the crisis.
“I look forward to voting yes on this bill and ending this unnecessary harm to the security of our families and our nation,” she said on the Senate floor Sunday.
President Donald Trump has also been vocal about the need for an end to the government shutdown, asking senators to continue working without weekends until then.
losers
progressive democrats: Progressives balked at Sunday’s proposal.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said, “I will not support a deal that does nothing to make health care more affordable.” “The fight to reduce costs is a just fight, and we must not abandon it.”
Senators are scheduled to vote in mid-December on extending the health care aid that is at the center of the government shutdown fight, but Republicans have not fully committed to approval. Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vermont) told reporters last week that voting with uncertainty is akin to “caving.”
Obamacare enrollees: Millions of Obamacare enrollees could see higher premiums next year unless Congress passes a subsidy extension in December to make health insurance more affordable.
Republican (something like): The most conservative members of the House, in particular, are likely to be dissatisfied with proposed increases in spending levels for some agencies and programs. The White House has also made concessions by promising to reverse federal layoffs and reduce encroachments on Congress’ spending authority.
Zachary Schermele is a Congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social..
