Senate Democrats take heat for striking deal to end government shutdown

WASHINGTON (CN) — House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday took a victory lap after a group of Senate Democrats bucked party leadership and joined Republicans in advancing a short-term funding bill to end the monthlong government shutdown.

“Our long national nightmare is finally over,” the top House Republican told reporters. “After 40 days of wandering in the wilderness and making the American people suffer needlessly, some Senate Democrats have finally stepped forward to end the pain.”

The upper chamber over the weekend cleared a major procedural hurdle on an amended version of a House-passed budget bill that would fund most government programs through Jan. 30, 2026. Military construction, the Agriculture Department and Congress would remain funded through September 2026 under the proposed legislation.

Despite more than a month of their party’s opposition to such a plan, a splinter group of eight Democrats voted Sunday night to advance the budget stopgap. In exchange, Republicans said they would hold a vote later this year on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies — one of Democrats’ main demands for a shutdown deal.

Among the lawmakers who voted alongside Republicans were Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine.

Throughout the shutdown, which saw funding for federal food aid dry up and air travel grind to a halt across the country, Democrats and Republicans held firm on their demands and traded blows about who was responsible for the hardships foisted on Americans.

While concerns mounted among Democrats that the shutdown was becoming too politically painful, GOP losses in state-level elections last week appeared for a moment to have galvanized Democratic resolve, with some suggesting the shutdown was hurting Republicans and President Donald Trump.

But, speaking during a news conference Monday, Johnson twisted the political knife on Democrats.

“As we said from the beginning, the people’s government cannot be held hostage to further anyone’s political agenda,” said the House speaker. “That was never right, and shutting down the government never produced anything.”

Johnson applauded the Senate Democrats who broke with their colleagues to back the Republican funding plan, saying that they “put principle over their personal politics.” He called on House Democrats to “think carefully, pray and finally do the right thing.”

The upper chamber had for weeks been stuck under a Democratic filibuster that prevented the measure from moving forward. Over the weekend, the spending patch garnered 60 votes — exactly the number needed to break the filibuster.

The Senate voted 60-40 to pass the Republican funding resolution Monday afternoon. Seven Democrats and one independent joined Republicans.

Johnson, who has kept the House out of session for weeks amid the shutdown, said earlier in the day that he would order lawmakers to convene “at the very moment” the upper chamber passed the proposed stopgap budget. He added that members would get 36 hours’ notice to return to Washington, setting up a House vote on the resolution as early as Wednesday.

“This has gone on too long, too many people have suffered and it’s long overdue,” said the top House Republican.

The American Federation of Government Employees, the country’s largest union of federal employees, has urged Congress to pass the proposed continuing resolution. In a statement Monday, union president Everett Kelley argued that government workers “are tired of being used as leverage to advance political priorities.”

“For 40 days, the livelihoods of more than two million federal employees have been held hostage by politicians who would rather play politics than do their jobs,” said Kelley. “We strongly urge the House of Representatives to pass this continuing resolution and for President Trump to sign it immediately.”

While the GOP claims victory on the government shutdown, Senate Democrats are taking heat for agreeing to a compromise plan that leadership has long rejected. Critics have argued that Democrats capitulated on health care subsidies, agreeing to a vote on extending the Affordable Care Act grants with no guarantee that they will pass a Republican-controlled Congress.

Shaheen, speaking to reporters Sunday night, contended that Democrats had secured a vote on health care subsidies that Republicans would have refused to hold otherwise.

“We have a guaranteed vote by a guaranteed date on a bill that we will write,” said the New Hampshire senator, adding that she believed there was a “commitment” by her Republican colleagues to work on such legislation in a bipartisan fashion.

But Shaheen also conceded that Democrats had received no commitments that the GOP would ultimately vote for a bill extending Affordable Care Act subsidies.

“There was never a guarantee it would become law,” she said.

Meanwhile, some critics — including one congressional Democrat — have directed their ire at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who they have blamed for failing to keep his caucus in line. Schumer voted against invoking cloture on the proposed budget stopgap.

In a post on X Sunday night, California Representative Ro Khanna called for Schumer’s removal from his position as head of Senate Democrats.

“Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced,” Khanna wrote. “If you can’t lead the fight to stop health care premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?”

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