**Senate Passes Funding Package to End Government Shutdown, Heads to House**
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate has finally voted on a deal to end the longest government shutdown in history. On Monday night, the Senate passed a government funding package with a 60-40 vote, paving the way to reopen the government. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.
The vote came roughly 24 hours after a bipartisan group of rank-and-file senators, working alongside Majority Leader John Thune, reached an agreement that officially broke a weeks-long partisan stalemate. Eight Democrats joined all but one Republican in supporting the bill.
The funding package consists of a three-bill “minibus” that would provide funding for the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction projects, as well as the operations of Congress for the current fiscal year. These appropriations are the result of months of bipartisan, bicameral negotiations among top appropriators.
All other federal agencies would receive funding through January 30 under this agreement.
Importantly, the shutdown-ending deal guarantees that federal employees who were laid off during the shutdown will be rehired and receive back pay. It also requires federal agencies to notify Congress in writing regarding the withdrawal of layoff notices issued during the funding lapse, including details about the amount of back pay owed.
Additionally, the agreement includes a broad prohibition on reductions in force across all departments and agencies, preventing further federal employee firings at least until the January 30 end date of the continuing resolution.
Democrats secured a significant concession: a vote by mid-December on legislation to extend the enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which are scheduled to expire at the end of the year. Senate Democratic Caucus negotiators, led by Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Angus King of Maine, described the opportunity to vote on extending these subsidies as a major win.
Despite this, some Democrats in both chambers—including members of leadership—expressed frustration that Republicans did not budge on their key demand to negotiate on the ACA subsidies during the shutdown. Nonetheless, negotiators argued privately that the framework agreement represented the best possible offer from the GOP.
As the bill heads to the House, lawmakers will continue to debate the details. For now, the Senate’s passage marks a crucial step toward reopening the government and restoring funding to federal agencies and employees.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/11/10/senate-votes-to-end-govt-shutdown/