The U.S. government is a step closer to re-opening and ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The progress in the weeks-long stalemate is the result of eight members of the Senate Democratic Caucus breaking with the Democrats by voting to advance a stopgap funding measure.
The Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, but need a 60-vote majority to pass most legislation, as dictated by the Senate filibuster. The late Sunday night vote saw the Republicans get the 60 “yes” answers they needed, after gaining eight votes across the aisle. Notably, the Republicans lost one vote from their own party, with Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who often goes head-to-head with Trump, voting with the large majority of the Democratic Caucus, instead.
Throughout the shutdown, which entered its 40th day on Monday, the Republicans and Democrats have upheld a bitter stalemate and engaged in a blame game, with each holding the other responsible. At the core of the disagreement are spending and health care items. Democrats are demanding a reversal of the Medicaid cuts that feature in Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” and are fighting to extend Obamacare tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of the year.
The shutdown has resulted in a major disruption to SNAP benefits, leaving millions of Americans in limbo regarding access to food stamps, and has also sparked disarray to air travel across the U.S. Furthermore, thousands of federal workers have been either furloughed without pay, or ordered to still turn up to work despite no new pay checks.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has stood firm on his position, consistently voting against Republican-proposed funding bills that don’t include an extension of the Obamacare (officially known as Affordable Care Act) tax credits.
Confirming his vote against the deal on Sunday, Schumer said: “For months and months Democrats have been fighting to get the Senate to address the health care crisis. This bill does nothing to ensure that that crisis is addressed.”
But not all members of the Senate Democratic Caucus felt the same.
The eight that strayed from their core group first secured a commitment from Senate Majority Leader John Thune for a December floor vote that would address extending Obamacare tax credits. They also secured word that the White House would reverse the firings of thousands of federal workers, plus guarantee them back pay.
Despite this initial step forward, there is a way to go before the government can reopen. Other lawmakers will have the opportunity to amend the continuing resolution and spending package. This will be followed by further votes in the Senate.
Only after it has been passed by the Senate will the legislation move to the House of Representatives, where it will face another vote.
With all eyes now on the next vote, here’s what to know about the eight members of the Senate Democratic Caucus who broke away from the Democrat line during Sunday night’s vote.
Angus King (I-Maine)
One of just two Independent Senators in the 119th Congress (the other being Sen. Bernie Sanders) Angus King has represented Maine as one of its Senators since 2013. King caucuses with the Democrats, but has supported a Republican-penned stopgap bill to fund the government since the start of the shutdown.
In a statement on Sunday, King explained his decision, asking: “Does the shutdown further the goal of achieving some needed support for the extension of the tax credits? Our judgment was that it will not produce that result.”
King described the ongoing shutdown as a “crisis” for millions of Americans either missing out on pay as federal workers or those not receiving SNAP payments in November.
“I believe that we are closer tonight to a vote on the ACA (Affordable Care Act) tax credits than we were this morning,” King maintained, adding that he views Sunday’s vote as “a win for the American people.”
Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)
Despite his vote in favor of the Republican legislation, Illinois’ Senior Sen. Dick Durbin has continued his criticism of the Republican pursuit to cut back on health care premiums for Americans under the ACA.
“Republicans have done everything in their power, while controlling both Congress and the Presidency, to shut down the government rather than help Americans afford to go to the doctor,” said Durbin, who was elected to the Senate in 1996.
The Senate Minority Whip said that Sunday’s bill is different to what has previously been voted against by the majority of the Senate Democratic Caucus.
“Republicans finally woke up and realized their Groundhog Day needed to end. This bill is not perfect, but it takes important steps to reduce their shutdown’s hurt,” said Durbin, regarding the change in his vote.
Durbin argued that it is now up to Thune to “keep his promise” and schedule a vote on extending health care premiums in December.
Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)
Jeanne Shaheen has stood as New Hampshire’s Senior Senator since 2009. Explaining her breakaway from the party’s stance, Shaheen said on Sunday “there is no one in the Senate who wants to see these tax credits extended more than me” but she voted to advance the stopgap funding measure because “negotiations with Republicans have made clear that they will not address health care as part of shutdown talks—waiting longer will only prolong the pain Americans are feeling because of the shutdown.”
The Senator said that work must begin immediately to negotiate on extending tax premiums for millions of Americans on health care under ACA.
“President Trump, Leader Thune, and Speaker Johnson have all said they are willing to find a way of extending these tax credits. We are ready to negotiate immediately,” she urged.
Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.)
New Hampshire’s Junior Senator, Maggie Hassan, who has served in the role since 2017, said the legislation that she voted in favor of “funds SNAP and food assistance programs, ensures that law enforcement, air traffic controllers, and other federal workers get paid, reverses the President’s recent reckless layoffs and prevents them from happening in the future and, crucially, gives Congress a clear path forward to protecting people’s health care.”
Hassan said that she has spoken to people in her state affected by health care cost rises and those who have not received SNAP payments, prompting grave concern. “I urge Speaker Johnson to finally return the House of Representatives into session and quickly reopen the government,” she pleaded.
John Fetterman (D-Pa.)
Pennsylvania’s Senior Senator John Fetterman, a vocal critic of the Democrat stance on the shutdown, has voted on the same side as the majority of Republicans throughout the closure of the government.
“I’m sorry to our military, SNAP recipients, government workers, and Capitol Police who haven’t been paid in weeks. It should’ve never come to this. This was a failure,” Fetterman said on Sunday.
Fetterman, who has served Pennsylvania in the Senate since 2023, has criticised his own party’s conduct throughout the shutdown, accusing fellow Democrats of “playing chicken” with SNAP payments.
“I reject a political gamble that exposes a vulnerable constituency to widespread deprivation and chaos,” he said on Oct. 28.
Tim Kaine (D-Va.)
In a statement outlining his reasons for voting in favor of the government funding legislation, Virginia’s Sen. Tim Kaine pointed towards what he believes pushed Republicans to guarantee a future vote on extending health care premiums.
“This deal guarantees a vote to extend the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, which Republicans weren’t willing to do. Lawmakers know their constituents expect them to vote for it, and if they don’t, they could very well be replaced at the ballot box by someone who will,” said Kaine, Virginia’s Junior Senator, who was sworn into the Senate in 2013.
“This legislation will protect federal workers from baseless firings, reinstate those who have been wrongfully terminated during the shutdown, and ensure federal workers receive back pay,” Kaine reasoned.
Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.)
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, like Fetterman, has long voted in favor of reopening the government. “I know the pain it is causing working families,” she said after the most recent vote.
“With the government open, we can focus on passing a full, bipartisan budget for 2026,” said Cortez Masto, who had previously voted against a previous threat of government shutdown in March earlier this year, warning that such a pause in the government could be “devastating.”
The native Nevadan, who has represented her state in the Senate since 2017, said that Sunday’s vote now puts accountability in the hands of the Republicans regarding health care assistance for Americans.
“If Republicans want to join us in lowering costs for working families, they have the chance to do so. And if they do not come to the table, they will own the premium increases they cause,” she said.
Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.)
In a statement regarding her vote on Sunday, Nevada’s Junior Senator, Jacky Rosen, said it is “clear as we go deeper into the second month of this Republican government shutdown that President Trump and Washington Republicans are weaponizing their power in alarming ways.”
Calling the conduct of Trump and his colleagues as “nothing short of appalling,” Rosen—who was sworn into the U.S. Senate in 2019—said that the vote on Sunday would force Republicans to adjust their position on extending health care premiums.
“Senate Republicans need to work with us in a bipartisan way before the next deadline,” she argued.
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