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LOADINGERROR LOADING WASHINGTON – Senators have reached a deal to reopen the federal government, ending a 40-day partisan impasse after a group of moderate Democrats caved on their party’s health care demands. Sens. Angus King (I-Maine), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) cut the deal with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and the White House, a source familiar with the deal tells HuffPost. Advertisement And there are at least eight votes from the Senate Democratic Caucus in favor of this agreement, meaning Republicans now have the 60 votes they need to clear a filibuster and advance their party’s government funding bill. The House is expected to return to D.C. and pass it this week, ending the longest government shutdown in history. For weeks, Democrats have been insisting that any vote to reopen the government also be tied to a vote to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits expiring at the end of the year, something they repeatedly called a “health care crisis.” Millions of people rely on these subsidies to afford health care, and since ACA open enrollment began on Nov. 1, many have already seen the costs of their health care skyrocket. The deal that moderate Democrats just cut with Republicans doesn’t extend those health care subsidies, but sets up a future vote to extend them – a vote that will almost certainly fail, as Republicans have no interest in doing this. Advertisement Democratic proponents of the deal argue it’s still a win for them, as Republicans previously weren’t willing to hold any votes on restoring ACA subsidies. “This deal guarantees a vote to extend Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, which Republicans weren’t willing to do,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who said in a statement he’ll be supporting the deal because it includes protections for federal workers. “Lawmakers know their constituents expect them to vote for it, and if they don’t, they could very well be replaced at the ballot box by someone who will.” But Republicans did offer Democrats a vote on the ACA subsidies weeks earlier, in mid-October, and Democrats simply refused to cave to their demands. The reality is that moderate Democrats in particular were looking for an off-ramp from the shutdown, as the expiration of federal food assistance for tens of millions of people, and the compounding travel nightmare at airports across the country, increasingly weighed on them. Advertisement There was also a sense among some that Democrats couldn’t win the fight in the long term. Over the weekend, Trump was digging in more by urging Republicans to repeal the ACA subsidies entirely. He’s also pushed GOP senators to go so far as to eliminate the filibuster to get what he wants. “The question was, as the shutdown progresses, is a solution on the ACA becoming any more likely? It appears not,” King told HuffPost after a two-hour closed-door meeting with Democrats on Sunday. “I think people are saying we’re not going to get what we want, although we still have a chance, because part of the deal is a vote on the ACA subsidies,” King said. “But in the meantime, a lot of people are being hurt.” Advertisement The agreement also includes a reversal of all the firings of federal workers that have taken place since the shutdown began, as well as protections against more firings happening again – until January 30, 2026. And it funds federal food assistance at a higher level than before. But progressive lawmakers and groups are fuming about this deal, with some calling it a “betrayal” to the millions of Americans about to be priced out of their health care coverage. “It’s a terrible mistake,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told reporters on Sunday. “People want us to stand and fight for health care, and that’s what I believe.” Advertisement Asked if she was happy with her party’s leadership, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Warren dodged the question, saying only that she believes Democrats have erred by caving. (Schumer, for his part, told reporters he would be a no on the deal). Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), a potential 2028 presidential candidate, insisted he “will not turn my back on the 24 million Americans” whose health care premiums will now double, or more, as a result of the ACA tax credits expiring. 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Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again. Support HuffPost Already a member? Log in to hide these messages. “There’s a phrase in Spanish, ‘Con salud, lo hay todo; sin salud, no hay nada.’ It means, ‘With good health you have it all; without your health, you have nothing,’” Gallego said in a statement. “It’s with that phrase in mind that I stand firm in my decision to vote no so that families across the country can get the health care they need.” Top Democrats in the House also slammed the Senate deal, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar (D-Texas). But there are enough House Democrats who will ultimately support it when the chamber takes it up later this week. Advertisement
