WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate appeared ready on Sunday to move forward with a measure aimed at reopening the federal government and ending a 40-day shutdown that has sidelined federal workers, delayed food aid, and disrupted air travel.
Senators were expected to vote Sunday night on a House-passed bill that will be amended to combine a short-term funding measure to fund the government through January 2026 with three full-year appropriations bills. At least eight Democrats, enough to clear the Republican-controlled Senate, are expected to support the measure, according to a source familiar with negotiations.
The amended package must still pass the House of Representatives and be signed by President Donald Trump, a process that could take several days. Under a deal with some Democrats, Republicans have agreed to a December vote on extending subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, a key Democratic priority.
The resolution would also reverse some of the Trump administration’s mass layoffs of federal workers during the shutdown and provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for a year. The deal was brokered by Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and Angus King, an independent from Maine. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would vote against the measure.
Sunday marked the 40th day of the shutdown, which has affected federal employees, food aid, parks, and travel. Shortages in air traffic control staffing could disrupt travel during the busy Thanksgiving season on November 27.
Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, said the mounting effects of the shutdown pushed the Senate toward agreement. “Temperatures cool, the atmospheric pressure increases outside and all of a sudden it looks like things will come together,” Tillis told reporters.
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett warned that continued closure could push fourth-quarter economic growth into negative territory, especially if air travel does not normalize by Thanksgiving.
President Trump on Sunday renewed calls to replace Affordable Care Act subsidies with direct payments to individuals. The subsidies, which helped double ACA enrollment to 24 million since 2021, are at the center of the shutdown dispute. Republicans have insisted the issue will be addressed only after government funding is restored.
Trump described the subsidies as a “windfall for Health Insurance Companies, and a DISASTER for the American people” on his Truth Social platform, while pledging to work with both parties once the government reopens. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Senator Lindsey Graham said the proposal would not be considered before lawmakers pass a federal funding measure.
Americans shopping for 2026 Obamacare plans face a potential doubling of monthly premiums, health experts estimate, as pandemic-era subsidies expire at year-end. Democratic Senator Adam Schiff criticized Trump’s proposal, saying it could allow insurance companies to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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