WASHINGTON — The United States Senate voted 60-40 on Sunday night, 8 November 2026, to advance a bipartisan funding deal to end the federal government shutdown that began on 1 October — a closure now 40 days long, the longest in American history. The vote cleared the Senate's 60-vote filibuster threshold by the narrowest margin, the first breakthrough in a standoff that has left nearly a million federal workers unpaid, halted food aid for tens of millions, and snarled air travel. But the vote did not reopen the government. The package must still pass the Senate, then the House — out of session since 19 September — before President Donald Trump can sign it into law.
Illustration: The United States Capitol building at dusk, an illustration of the seat of Congress where senators voted to advance the funding deal.
What Happened
The package uses a House-passed stopgap bill as its vehicle, plus three full-year fiscal 2026 spending bills covering Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and the Legislative Branch. The rest of the government would be funded through 30 January 2026, giving lawmakers about twelve more weeks. The vote succeeded only because eight members of the Democratic caucus broke ranks: seven Senate Democrats joined Republicans, along with independent Senator Angus King of Maine. Those Democrats were Dick Durbin of Illinois, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was the lone Republican against, leaving the tally at 60-40.
The deal was brokered over the weekend by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Hassan, Shaheen and King, with Appropriations Chair Susan Collins and White House negotiators. It was the fifteenth attempt to advance funding legislation since the shutdown began, and the first to succeed. Fetterman, King and Cortez Masto had already voted with Republicans on the previous fourteen attempts, but the votes to clear the filibuster were lacking until Sunday. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer voted against the deal, and most of his caucus opposed it, exposing Democratic divisions over holding out for health care concessions.
Under the deal, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, would be fully funded, along with children's nutrition programmes. SNAP serves about 42 million Americans, and its funding had become urgent after benefits for the poorest stopped flowing at the start of November. The bill also provides 8.2 billion dollars for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC — about 600 million dollars more than last year — and replenishes Agriculture Department contingency money. Federal employees fired after the shutdown began would be reinstated with back pay, and further layoffs are barred until the funding expires.
What the package does not do is extend the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits due to expire at the end of 2026 — the central issue of the shutdown. Democrats had staked the standoff on extending the subsidies, and many voted against Sunday's deal because it leaves the credits unaddressed. Thune committed on the Senate floor to a separate vote on the subsidies no later than the second week of December, with no guaranteed outcome. Opponents including Richard Blumenthal, Chris Van Hollen, Tammy Baldwin and Andy Kim argued that a mere promise gives away the leverage the shutdown created. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters after leaving a National Football League game on Sunday night, said: "It looks like we're getting very close to the shutdown ending."
Background
The shutdown began on 1 October 2026, when Congress failed to pass the annual spending bills. Its immediate cause was the expiring Affordable Care Act premium tax credits. Democrats insisted any funding deal must extend the subsidies, warning millions would face sharply higher premiums in 2026 if they lapsed. Republicans, who control both chambers, refused to tie the credits to a funding bill, arguing the government should reopen first. For more than five weeks neither side moved: the Senate voted fourteen times without reaching 60 votes, and the House did not return to session after 19 September.
Nearly a million federal workers have missed paychecks, many furloughed outright and others — including air traffic controllers, airport security officers and military personnel — required to work without pay. Food assistance became the most visible hardship: SNAP benefits, which help about 42 million Americans buy groceries, stopped flowing at the start of November, leaving food banks and state agencies scrambling. A Rhode Island federal judge and a circuit court ordered the release of November SNAP benefits last week, but the Supreme Court stayed the decision, and a Saturday Agriculture Department memo told states that had released full benefits to take back a portion.
Illustration: An empty federal office with vacant desks, an illustration of the furloughed workers who have missed paychecks during the shutdown.
Air travel became the shutdown's most disruptive daily consequence for the public. The Federal Aviation Administration began cutting flights on Friday at 40 major airports, with reductions set to reach a 10 percent decrease, as air traffic controllers worked without pay and staffing shortages grew.
A small group of senators led the weekend talks, searching for an off-ramp. Thune worked with Hassan, Shaheen and King — Democrats and an independent open to reopening the government while deferring the health care fight — alongside Collins, who chairs the Appropriations Committee. White House negotiators joined, and the package gives both sides something to claim: Democrats secured food-assistance funding and worker protections, while Republicans secured a reopening without an immediate subsidy extension. The deal also contains a hemp-ban provision that alarmed hemp farmers, with an industry group warning it would "effectively eliminate" the legal hemp industry, citing 325,000 jobs. House Democrats including Hakeem Jeffries, Rosa DeLauro and Angie Craig criticised the deal as conceding too much on health care — a sign its House passage will not be smooth.
Why It Matters
The vote matters first because it breaks a 40-day deadlock just as the shutdown's costs were compounding daily. Nearly a million federal workers have gone without pay for more than a month, a strain rippling through rent, mortgages and local businesses. Food assistance for about 42 million people was interrupted at the start of November, the point where the shutdown became a crisis for the poorest. Flight cuts turned it into a daily disruption for travellers, as unpaid air traffic controllers staffed the towers. Ending the shutdown removes a drag on household spending, restores federal payments, and lets furloughed workers return to their jobs.
For the economy, the shutdown has been a slow squeeze rather than a single shock. Frozen federal pay means less spending in shops, restaurants and service businesses, above all around Washington and military bases. Suspended food aid removes spending from grocery stores in low-income communities. Disrupted air travel imposes costs on businesses and families, and suspended federal data and services leave companies and investors with less information. No single dollar figure captures the cost, but the direction is clear: a government that cannot pay its workers, feed its poorest citizens, or keep its airports running drags on economic activity, and reopening removes that drag.
Illustration: An airport departure board with cancelled flights and grounded planes, an illustration of the air travel disruption caused by the shutdown.
The vote also matters politically, and because of what it does not settle. The Democrats who backed the deal — including Durbin, the party's second-ranking senator, and Kaine, a former vice-presidential nominee — broke with their leader, Schumer, in public. Their defection suggests holding the government closed for health care subsidies had lost support in part of the caucus, even as most Democrats still backed it. For Republicans, the vote vindicates waiting out the shutdown while refusing to negotiate on the subsidies, but it also commits Thune to a December vote on the credits that could reopen the same fight within weeks. The subsidies still expire at the end of 2026, and the December vote has no guaranteed outcome, so millions buying insurance through the marketplaces still do not know their 2026 premiums. Sunday's vote is a breakthrough on the road to reopening the government — not the reopening itself, and not a resolution of the health care question that caused the shutdown.
What Happens Next
The bill must now clear further Senate steps, including a final passage vote, before moving to the House. That takes time even with broad agreement, though the 60-40 vote suggests the package has the support to advance. Once the Senate passes it, the bill goes to the House, out of session since 19 September. House Speaker Mike Johnson has told lawmakers to return to Washington, and the earliest House vote is expected on Wednesday. The House must consider the same package — hemp provision included, health care extension absent — and critics may press for changes, though any amendment would send the bill back to the Senate.
If the House passes the bill as written, it goes to President Donald Trump, and the government reopens once he signs it. Federal workers would return to their posts, back pay would begin to flow, and SNAP benefits would resume. Flight cuts would be unwound, and agencies on skeleton staffing would restore normal services. Timing depends on the Senate and the House, but the expectation in Washington is that the government could reopen within days, provided no new obstacle emerges.
The longer horizon is the December vote on the Affordable Care Act subsidies. Thune's commitment requires a Senate vote on the premium tax credits no later than the second week of December, the next test of a health care agreement. Democrats who opposed the deal will argue the December vote must produce a real extension, not a symbolic one, and Republicans must decide whether to support it, oppose it, or seek a compromise. The outcome will affect the insurance premiums of millions of Americans in 2026. Until then, the shutdown's central question stays unanswered, even as the government prepares to reopen.
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FAQ
How long has the U.S. government shutdown lasted?
The shutdown began on 1 October 2026 and has lasted 40 days, the longest in U.S. history. The Senate voted 60-40 on 8 November 2026 to advance a deal to end it, but the government stays closed until the House passes it and the president signs.
What does the Senate funding deal actually do?
It uses a House-passed stopgap bill as its vehicle, adds three full-year fiscal 2026 spending bills, and funds the rest of the government through 30 January 2026. It fully funds SNAP and children's nutrition programmes, provides 8.2 billion dollars for WIC, and reinstates fired federal employees with back pay.
Does the deal extend the Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies?
No. It does not extend the premium tax credits expiring at the end of 2026. Senate Majority Leader John Thune promised a separate vote on the subsidies no later than the second week of December, but it has no guaranteed outcome, and many Democrats voted against the deal for this reason.
When will the government actually reopen?
Not yet. The bill needs final Senate passage, then House approval — the House has been out of session since 19 September — and President Donald Trump's signature. The earliest House vote is expected on Wednesday. Only after the president signs does the government reopen.
How has the shutdown affected ordinary Americans?
Nearly a million federal workers have missed paychecks, food benefits for about 42 million people stopped at the start of November, and flight cuts began at 40 major airports, set to reach 10 percent. Air traffic controllers have worked without pay.
Sources
States Newsroom / Missouri Independent — Ashley Murray, "US Senate advances bill to end record-breaking government shutdown", 9 November 2026.
Reuters — Coverage of the U.S. Senate vote to advance the government funding deal, 9 November 2026.
Associated Press — Coverage of the Senate's 60-40 procedural vote and the bipartisan funding agreement, 9 November 2026.
U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee — Bill summary for the fiscal year 2026 funding package, November 2026.
Reuters — Coverage of the government shutdown's impact on air travel and Federal Aviation Administration flight cuts, November 2026.
Associated Press — Coverage of the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits and the December vote commitment, 9 November 2026.
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