After 40 days, the longest government shutdown in American history finally appears to be slowly moving towards a conclusion. However, even after the Senate voted Sunday night with a bipartisan vote to advance a temporary funding measure, it could still take the better part of the week before federal workers return to their jobs and closed agencies reopen.
While the Senate’s 60-to-40 vote on Sunday marked the initial concrete step toward reopening the government, several more stages remain before any legislation reaches President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature, and critics of the deal may impede its passage.
Since the shutdown commenced on October 1, Democrats and Republicans have been debating the future of Affordable Care Act subsidies and a wave of measures initiated by the Trump Administration. The agreement reached Sunday would fund most federal agencies until January 30. It also incorporates a “minibus”—three appropriations bills intended to finance veterans’ programs, military construction, agriculture, and congressional operations through September.
In exchange for providing the crucial votes necessary to advance the package, eight members of the Senate Democratic Caucus secured a commitment from Senate Majority Leader John Thune for a December floor vote on extending expiring Obamacare tax credits, and a promise from the White House to reverse the firings of thousands of federal workers and guarantee them back pay.
“After 40 extended days, I am hopeful we can bring this shutdown to an end,” Thune stated shortly before the vote.
The vote signified a rare instance of bipartisan collaboration in a chamber that had been stalled for weeks, sending a clear signal that the resolution is within reach. Nevertheless, the Senate’s work is not yet complete. Lawmakers must still approve the final version of the continuing resolution and spending package, a process that could span several more days if all 100 senators do not agree to waive procedural obstacles.
“They will require unanimous consent from all senators to fast-track their final vote,” Speaker Mike Johnson announced Monday morning at a press conference. “As you know, there are some procedural challenges that one or more could introduce, but we certainly hope that they will not do that, because so many people across this country are desperate for the government to reopen.”
After the final Senate vote, the legislation will move to the House, which has not convened since the shutdown began. Johnson said he will call the House to return to Washington “as quickly as possible” following the final Senate vote. “We will issue a 36-hour formal and official notice so that we can vote as soon as possible to pass the amended CR bill and get it to the President’s desk,” he said.
The timeline, in other words, remains adaptable. Even if the Senate manages to expedite its work and pass the bill as soon as Monday night or Tuesday, the House would then have to reconvene—likely Wednesday or Thursday—for its own vote.
The biggest unknown in the timeline is whether those in the Senate displeased with the final deal do anything to slow it down. Several progressive Democrats are frustrated that the final deal includes only a promise—rather than a guarantee—of action on health care. And Senator , a Kentucky Republican who has repeatedly broken with his party, has threatened to delay passage over language in the measure viewed as unfavorable to the hemp industry.
Senate leaders are observing both factions cautiously. “It remains to be seen how quickly we can get to a final vote,” Thune acknowledged Sunday night, adding that he hoped lawmakers would resist the urge to stall progress after six weeks of gridlock.
Yet the practical realities of the standoff have become impossible to ignore. The shutdown, now entering its seventh week, has strained everything from food assistance programs to airport operations. The Agriculture Department has warned of lapses in , while the Federal Aviation Administration has been compelled to cancel thousands of flights to relieve overworked, unpaid controllers.
