The US Senate on Monday adopted a text that, once approved by the House of Representatives, would lift budget paralysis after more than 40 days of shutdown, but it has become a source of contention among Democrats.
The bill passed with 60 votes in favor (and 40 votes against) extending the current budget until the end of January. The text must now be debated and adopted starting Wednesday in the House of Representatives, before heading to Donald Trump’s desk for legislation that would officially end the state’s partial paralysis.
Before the vote, the American president was happy to have secured enough Democratic votes in the Senate to break the deadlock. “It’s a shame that the country is closed, but we will reopen our country soon,” he told press at the White House.
The Republican leader of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, also expressed optimism Monday that the paralysis would be lifted “this week.” “Our long national nightmare is finally coming to an end,” he said at a news conference.
Since October 1 and the start of the blockade, more than a million civil servants have not been paid, certain aid payments have been severely disrupted, as has air traffic, with hundreds of flight cancellations every day.
Health is at the heart of the debate
At the heart of the dispute between Republicans and Democrats for more than 40 days has been the question of health care costs. Donald Trump’s party, which has a majority in Congress, proposed a modest extension of the current budget, while the opposition demanded an extension of subsidies for the “Obamacare” health insurance program, aimed mainly at low-income households.
These subsidies are set to expire at the end of this year, and health insurance costs are expected to more than double by 2026 for the 24 million Americans on Obamacare, according to KFF, a think tank specializing in health issues.
Due to current rules in the Senate, multiple Democratic votes are needed to approve the budget even if Republicans have a majority. In total, eight Democratic Party members ultimately approved the new bill.
“Weeks of negotiations with Republicans have made it clear that they will not address the health issue” of ending the paralysis, one of them, Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, assured in a press release. “Waiting any longer will only prolong the suffering Americans are feeling as a result of this crisis closing “, he added.
Known as centrists, these eight elected opposition officials secured the reversal of the Trump administration’s firing of thousands of federal civil servants since the start of the paralysis.
The atmosphere is warm among Democrats
On the other hand, they were almost empty-handed on the health issue, not citing a subsidy extension in the final text, but only a promise from Senate Republican leaders about holding an upcoming vote on the issue.
An empty promise, decried by many elected Democrats, as the House leader, Mike Johnson, refused to commit to a similar vote in the lower house. Republicans “are not acting in good faith when it comes to the health of Americans,” charged Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries at a press conference on Monday.
California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, deplored X as a “capitulation” and “betrayal” of American workers. Many elected officials and Democratic Party supporters are now calling for the government to intervene immediately.
First target: Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader. If he votes no on Sunday night, he is suspected by many elected officials and Democrats of having encouraged these moderate elected officials to reach a deal with Republicans behind the scenes.
