A group of shutdown-weary Democratic senators voted with Republicans on Sunday night to advance a legislative vehicle to reopen the federal government and end the 40-day shutdown that has left tens of thousands of workers furloughed and caused chaos at the nation’s airports.
The Senate voted 60-40 to proceed to a House-passed continuing resolution to reopen the government, taking a big first step toward ending the shutdown after a group of centrist Democrats negotiated a funding deal with Senate Republican colleagues and the White House.
That proposal would fund military construction, veterans’ affairs, the Department of Agriculture and the legislative branch though September 30, 2026. It includes a stopgap measure to fund the rest of government through January 30, 2026.
The compromise proposal includes language to retain more than 4,000 federal workers targeted for layoffs during the shutdown as well as language to prevent the Trump administration from firing additional federal workers through reductions in force (RIFs) for the length of the newly drafted continuing resolution — until January 30, 2026.