Senate Passes Bill to End Shutdown; House Expected to Vote Wednesday

The Senate passed legislation late Monday to end the government shutdown, voting 60-40 and sending the bill to the House, which could act as soon as Wednesday evening. Eight members of the Democratic caucus, seven Democrats and one independent, joined Republicans, CBS News and PBS NewsHour reported.

The measure is a 31-page continuing resolution that extends current funding through Jan. 30, 2026, CBS reported; PBS said it funds most of the government through that date. It is paired with three full-year spending bills for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, and the legislative branch, which fund those agencies through September 2026.

The bill addresses several of the shutdown’s most visible effects. PBS reported that it funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program through September 2026 and reimburses states that paid benefits during the shutdown. It provides back pay for furloughed and working federal employees, according to CBS. It also states that any reduction in force taken by an executive agency since Oct. 1 “shall have no force or effect,” and it bars new layoffs through Jan. 30, CBS and PBS reported.

What it does not do is extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits, the issue on which Democrats had held out. Senate Republicans agreed to hold a vote on an extension by the end of the second week of December, CBS reported. NBC News reported that Senate Republican leaders made that commitment but the House did not.

Democrats are split. Sen. Chris Murphy said there is “no way to defend this,” CBS reported. Sen. Angus King called the agreement “a victory” and said the chances of eventually extending the credits are “maybe 50 percent,” NBC reported. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries praised Schumer and most Senate Democrats for waging “a valiant fight.”

The House must pass the Senate-amended bill, and President Trump must sign it, before the government reopens. CBS reported that the House could vote as early as Wednesday.