Copyright The New York Times
Eight senators in the Democratic caucus broke with the party late Sunday to vote with Republicans and advance legislation to end the government shutdown. The compromise measure that passed by a 60-to-40 vote came with a pledge from Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota and the majority leader, to allow a vote in December on the Democrats’ key demand: extending health care subsidies that are due to expire at the end of the year. But many Democrats have said for weeks that such a measure would be unacceptable, because it was unlikely to pass in the Republican-led Congress. If the subsidies expire, it would significantly increase insurance premiums for millions of Americans. Three of the eight senators — Angus King of Maine, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada — have supported a continuing resolution to fund the government since the shutdown began. After five others joined with Republicans, several Democrats decried their colleagues’ decision, which paved the way for the spending measure to advance toward a full vote in the Senate.
