The U.S. Senate on Monday approved a long-awaited compromise to end the longest government shutdown in American history, bringing relief after weeks of disruption that left hundreds of thousands of federal workers unpaid, snarled air traffic, and disrupted food benefits for millions of Americans.
The 60–40 vote passed with broad support from Republicans and eight Democrats, who had unsuccessfully pushed to tie the funding bill to the renewal of health insurance subsidies set to expire later this year. The deal temporarily restores funding for all federal agencies that have been unfunded since October 1, with spending extended through January 30.
Under the agreement, President Donald Trump’s plan to downsize the federal workforce has been halted, preventing any layoffs until at least the end of January. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives, where Speaker Mike Johnson has said he hopes to pass it by Wednesday. President Trump praised the agreement, calling it a “very good deal” and signaling he would sign it into law once it reaches his desk.
The compromise also funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through September 30 of next year, safeguarding food benefits for millions of low-income families even if Congress faces another shutdown. However, the bill leaves unresolved the fate of health care subsidies that benefit 24 million Americans, setting up a contentious December vote that could reignite partisan battles.
Many Democrats voiced frustration that the deal lacked stronger protections for social programs or limits on Trump’s unilateral spending cuts, which have already eliminated billions in funding and reduced the federal workforce by hundreds of thousands. “We wish we could do more,” said Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the chamber’s second-ranking Democrat. “The government shutting down seemed to be an opportunity to lead us to better policy. It didn’t work.”
The shutdown’s political fallout has been significant. A Reuters/Ipsos poll in late October found that half of Americans blamed Republicans for the impasse, while 43% blamed Democrats. Meanwhile, U.S. stocks rose Monday as news of the compromise lifted investor confidence after weeks of fiscal uncertainty.
Despite reopening the government, the agreement provides only temporary stability. It continues to add about $1.8 trillion annually to the nation’s $38 trillion debt, and includes no new guardrails preventing future unilateral spending cuts by the Trump administration. With major deadlines on the horizon and tensions still high, Congress now faces another round of high-stakes negotiations that could determine the fate of key federal programs heading into the new year.
