The US Senate took a major step toward ending the 40-day government shutdown on Sunday, as eight Democrats broke ranks to support a Republican-led plan to reopen the government without securing a deal on Obamacare subsidies.
The bipartisan compromise includes a package of spending bills and an updated continuing resolution that reverses some Trump-era firings of furloughed workers and guarantees back pay, but offers no concrete progress on extending healthcare tax credits.
The defections marked the first significant fracture in Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s strategy to tie reopening the government to healthcare reform.
Senators Dick Durbin, Angus King, John Fetterman, Catherine Cortez Masto, Jeanne Shaheen, Maggie Hassan, Jacky Rosen, and Tim Kaine joined Republicans in backing the measure, a move that Schumer and progressives like Bernie Sanders condemned as a capitulation.
Schumer argued that supporting the bill without an Obamacare extension “fails to address the healthcare crisis,” while Sanders warned that caving now would embolden President Trump.
Despite criticism, Senate Majority Leader John Thune promised Democrats a future vote on the subsidies before mid-December, though it is unlikely to succeed.
The legislation still requires House approval before reaching Trump’s desk, but the breakthrough signals the most significant progress yet toward reopening the government by the end of the month.
Chuck Schumer’s response to Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral victory was widely seen as tepid and politically cautious, and it didn’t go down well with many progressives.
🗽 What Happened
– No endorsement: Schumer declined to endorse Mamdani during the campaign, despite Mamdani being the Democratic nominee.
– Refused to reveal his vote: On Election Day, Schumer said only, “I voted,” and walked out of a press conference when pressed.
– Post-election remarks: After Mamdani’s win, Schumer said they had a “very, very good conversation” and praised his campaign—but still stopped short of a full endorsement or congratulations.
– Progressive backlash: Figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar criticized Schumer’s neutrality, calling it a failure to support generational change.