The winners and losers of the government shutdown deal

It's welcome news to many in Washington and around the country after the stalemate led to furloughs and firings of hundreds of thousands of federal workers, while millions more Americans were unable to travel, afford food, or send their kids to preschool.

Still, not everyone got what they wanted out of the final deal.

Senate Democrats backed down from their long-held policy demands involving health care. Republicans who want to cut more spending aren't thrilled with President Donald Trump's White House.

Moderate Democrats: Moderate Democrats like Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire were happy to see a deal finally come together Sunday night. Shaheen called her decision to advance a revised funding bill a "big step forward towards protecting the health care of tens of millions of Americans."
Moderates in the party have been itching to reopen and negotiating with Republicans for weeks. The bipartisan back-channeling has ebbed and flowed, but was notably curtailed last week by Democrats' sweeping election wins.

Federal workers: The agreement is a boon for federal workers, including air-traffic controllers, who've missed several paychecks since the government was shuttered Oct. 1. Hundreds of thousands have been furloughed while others worked without pay. The deal guarantees them all backpay.

“This shutdown has gone on far too long," she said. "And I also think it’s highly significant that we’ll have three yearlong appropriations bills attached. Veterans Day is coming very soon, and it would be wonderful if we get the full-year Veterans Affairs bill signed into law.”

Health care funding still up for debate

The Democrats failed to secure their main demand during the shutdown, which was an extension of the health care subsidies that many of the 24 million people who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act rely on to help defray costs.

Instead, the package guarantees a vote on the issue in December — which was not enough for most of the Democrats, who rejected the deal and voted against it.

"The American people want us to stand and fight for health care,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

Federal workers get a reprieve

The package seeks to roll back some of the Trump administration’s shutdown-related hits to the federal workforce. Employees have faced repeated threats of firings and mass layoffs this year.

The stopgap measure reinstates federal workers who had received reductions in force, or layoff, notices and protects against such future actions.