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WASHINGTON -- The Senate passed legislation Monday to reopen the government, bringing the longest shutdown in history closer to an end as a small group of Democrats ratified a deal with Republicans despite searing criticism from within their party. The 41-day shutdown could last a few more days as members of the House, which has been on recess since mid-September, return to Washington to vote on the legislation. President Donald Trump has signaled support for the bill, saying Monday that "we're going to be opening up our country very quickly." The final Senate vote, 60-40, broke a grueling stalemate that lasted more than six weeks as Democrats demanded that Republicans negotiate with them to extend health care tax credits that expire Jan. 1. The Republicans never did, and five moderate Democrats eventually switched their votes as federal food aid was delayed, airport delays worsened and hundreds of thousands of federal workers continued to go unpaid. After the vote, Senate Majority leader John Thune, R-S.D., thanked unpaid staff and Capitol Police who stood near him on the floor. He said he realized the strain had been immense for "six excruciating weeks." "I am very, very happy to be able to say we are coming to the end," Thune said. House Speaker Mike Johnson urged lawmakers to start returning to Washington "right now" given shutdown-related travel delays, but an official notice issued after the Senate vote said the earliest the House will vote is Wednesday afternoon. "It appears our long national nightmare is finally coming to an end," said Johnson, who has kept the House out of session since mid-September, when the House passed a bill to continue government funding. After weeks of negotiations, the moderate Senate Democrats agreed to reopen the government without a guaranteed extension of health care subsidies, angering many in their caucus who have demanded that Republicans negotiate with them on the Affordable Care Act tax credits that expire Jan. 1. Thune, R-S.D., promised a mid-December vote on the subsidies, but there was no guarantee of success. In a possible preview, the Senate voted 47-53 along party lines Monday not to extend the subsidies for a year. Majority Republicans allowed the vote as part of a separate deal with Democrats to speed up votes and send the legislation to the House. It's unclear whether the two parties would be able to find any common ground on the health care subsidies before the promised December vote in the Senate. Johnson said Monday that House Republicans have always been open to voting to reform what he called the "unaffordable care act" but again did not say if they would vote on the subsidies. AIRPORT WOES CONTINUE Meanwhile, air travelers should expect worsening cancellations and delays this week even if the government shutdown ends, as the Federal Aviation Administration rolls out deeper cuts to flights at 40 major U.S. airports, officials said Monday. Late Monday afternoon, Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field had four arriving flights canceled -- three for United Airlines (two from Chicago and one from Charlottesville, Va.) and one for American Airlines from Dallas. Seven additional arrivals were delayed -- three for United (Dallas, Chicago and Houston), two for American (New York and Dallas), one for Southwest Airlines (Las Vegas) and one for Delta Airlines (New York). For departures, only three flights were canceled -- two for United from Chicago and one for American from Dallas, while three were delayed -- two for United (Denver and Houston) and one for Southwest (Dallas). The fourth day of the flight restrictions saw airlines scrap over 2,300 flights Monday and more than 1,000 flights set for takeoff Tuesday. Unpaid for more than a month, some air traffic controllers have begun calling out of work, citing stress and the need to take on second jobs. Trump took to social media Monday to pressure controllers to "get back to work, NOW!!!" He called for a $10,000 bonus for those who've stayed on the job and suggested docking pay for those who haven't. Rep. Rick Larsen, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, ranking member of the Senate's Aviation Subcommittee, condemned the president's remarks, saying controllers deserve appreciation and support, not attacks. "We should be retaining our most experienced controllers, not slandering them and pushing them to leave their careers early," Duckworth's statement said. The head of the controllers union says its members are being used as a "political pawn" in the shutdown fight. Meanwhile, the Senate passed legislation Monday to reopen the government, though the bill also needs to clear the House and final passage could be days away. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made clear last week that flight cuts will remain in place until the FAA sees staffing levels stabilize at its air traffic control facilities. And because the flight disruptions are widespread and ongoing, many planes aren't where they're supposed to be, which could also slow the airlines' return to normal operations even after the FAA lifts the order, said Mike Taylor, who leads research on airports and airlines at J.D. Power. Since Friday, airlines have canceled about 8,000 flights under orders to drop 4% of flights at 40 of the nation's busiest airports. That will rise to 6% on Tuesday and 10% by week's end, the FAA says. One in 10 flights nationwide were scratched Sunday -- the fourth-worst day for cancellations in almost two years, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Controller shortages also led to five-hour delays Monday evening at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, where wintry weather added to the disruptions earlier in the day, and the FAA warned that staffing shortages at more than a dozen towers and control centers could cause delays in cities including Philadelphia, Nashville and Atlanta. Tuesday will be the second missed payday for controllers. It's unclear how quickly they might be paid once the shutdown ends. Information for this article was contributed by Mary Clare Jalonick, Lisa Mascaro, Seung Min Kim, Michelle Price, Stephen Groves, Kevin Freking, Rio Yamat, Josh Funk, Christopher L. Keller, Ken Sweet, Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Michael R. Sisak and John Seewer of The Associated Press and Daniel McFadin of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
