The U.S. Senate on Sunday night took a key procedural step toward ending the longest government shutdown in American history, as several Democratic senators broke ranks to back a bipartisan compromise aimed at reopening federal agencies.
Eight Democrats joined nearly all Republicans in a 60–40 vote to advance the deal, which had been brokered in private talks involving senators from both parties and White House officials. The agreement will still need to pass both chambers of Congress and be signed by President Donald Trump before the shutdown can formally end.
Speaking to reporters late Sunday — the 40th day of the shutdown — Mr. Trump sounded optimistic. “It looks like we’re getting close to the shutdown ending,” he said. “You’ll know very soon.”
The vote marked the first significant progress in a six-week stalemate that has shuttered much of the federal government, halted public services, and left millions of Americans without key benefits. But it also deepened rifts within the Democratic Party, as some lawmakers accused their colleagues of yielding to Republican pressure.
“Trump’s authoritarian tyranny is dismantling our democracy before our eyes,” said Senator Jeff Merkley, Democrat of Oregon. “The only way to stop him is to stand up to him.”
Under the proposed agreement, the government would be funded through the end of January, furloughed employees would receive back pay, and layoffs ordered during the shutdown would be reversed.
The deal reportedly includes a Democratic concession over health care tax credits that are set to expire later this year. Although Democrats have been pushing to extend those credits, the current plan only promises a future vote on the issue by mid-December — not a guaranteed extension.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer opposed the measure, as did House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who vowed to fight the bill when it reaches the lower chamber. “Republicans have refused to deal with the health care crisis they created,” Jeffries said. “Tens of millions of Americans will see their costs soar.”
The Senate’s action came after warnings from senior Trump administration officials that the shutdown was beginning to seriously harm the U.S. economy and could soon paralyze the air travel system. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the impact was “getting worse and worse” with each passing day.
The shutdown began on October 1, after Congress failed to agree on a spending plan for the new fiscal year. The funding lapse has already disrupted food assistance for more than 40 million Americans and caused widespread flight cancellations and delays after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to scale back operations.
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