US Senate Passes Deal to End Record Shutdown

The US Senate has passed a bipartisan deal to end the longest government shutdown in American history.

sarah

Nov 10, 2025 - 19:14

US Senate Passes Deal to End Record Shutdown

US Senate Majority Leader John Thune helped negotiate the weekend deal.

A deal aimed at ending the US government shutdown has passed the Senate, clearing the way to end the record-breaking impasse.

Following weekend-long negotiations in Washington, some Democrats joined Republicans and voted in favor of a compromise.

The vote is the first procedural step toward passing a compromise to fund the government since government funding ran out on October 1.

It will have to clear several more hurdles – including a vote in the House of Representatives – before federal employees and services can return, but it is the first serious sign of progress after 40 days of deadlock. The Senate is expected to return for further debate on Monday at 11:00 local time (16:00 GMT).

The current shutdown is the longest in US history, and until this weekend it appeared that Republican and Democratic lawmakers were locked in an impasse.

Many government services have been suspended since October, and approximately 1.4 million federal employees are either on unpaid leave or working without pay.

The shutdown has had a wide-ranging impact on a variety of services, including US air travel and food benefits for 41 million low-income Americans.

The deal was negotiated between Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the White House, and included Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, and Angus King of Maine, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats.

Republicans – who hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate – needed to surpass the 60-vote threshold to pass the measure. They managed to secure eight votes from the other side, while losing only one from Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who voted against the bill, saying it would increase the national debt.

The deal included an agreement to vote in December on extending healthcare subsidies, which are set to expire this year—a key issue on which Democrats wanted concessions.

Democratic leaders had said they would not support new funding for government operations unless Congress addressed the subsidies that help millions of Americans pay for health insurance purchased through government-run exchanges. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said before the vote, “I’m grateful that we can say we have senators, both Democrats and Republicans, who are willing to work together to address this crisis.”

“We also have a president who is willing to sit down and work on this issue. So I’m looking forward to seeing what solutions emerge.”

Thune did not specify what would be in that bill, which frustrated several Democrats in the House and Senate. They argued that the Democrats who made the deal gave away too much without getting enough in return.