Lack of pay for civil servants, lack of food stamps for those in need, problems at airports: the government shutdown is becoming more and more apparent in the US. The Senate has now taken the first steps to end the deadlock.
For the first time since a bitter budget dispute erupted in the US, Republicans and Democrats have taken concrete steps to end the partial shutdown of government business. On Sunday evening (local time), the Senate voted with Democratic votes to discuss the transition budget from the House of Representatives. This means that the first important hurdle in Parliament to end the longest government shutdown in United States history has been cleared.
However, the political crisis that has been going on since early October is still not over. And even the deal currently being sought – which would require further steps in the Senate and House of Representatives – would ultimately only provide a transition budget until January 30, 2026. The dispute could flare up again.
The Democratic Party is divided
After a long struggle, the rival political camps in the Senate were able to agree on the key points of a compromise. Nearly all Republicans and 7 Democrats and independent representatives in the House of Congress now voted to approve the next procedural steps needed to reach a deal. Only one of 53 Republicans voted no, a total of at least 60 votes required.
Dozens of Democratic Party members maintained their veto rights until the end. For example, influential Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer voted no.
Ultimately it came down to Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas, who waited a long time and only cast his vote after significant delays. With his vote, voting reached the required 60 votes shortly before 11 p.m. (local time).
The shutdown impacted daily life in the US
With the two parties in Congress unable to agree on a budget, most routine government operations have been paralyzed since early October. Many federal employees are currently without pay, food programs for low-income households have been impacted, as have airport operations. There have been thousands of flight cancellations and delays in recent days.
Both camps accused each other of suffering drastic consequences for society for political reasons. But they still pay attention to the public’s mood. Current surveys show that Americans tend to blame US President Donald Trump and his Republican supporters for the government shutdown. This is also why some members of the Democratic Party in both houses of parliament cannot understand why some of their party colleagues are accommodating to political competition.
At the heart of the debate: health insurance
The current dispute is essentially over whether certain financial subsidies for health insurance should be expanded. Democrats want to prevent cost increases that hurt millions of people. Republicans have so far rejected the extension because the expiration of the subsidies is laid out in a major tax law recently passed by Trump and is one of Trump’s main political projects. Therefore, his party was reluctant to submit parts of the bill several months after it was passed.
According to Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, the deal currently being sought includes, among other things, a vote on extending subsidies for health insurance contributions, which Democrats have insisted on – but not until December, as reporters from Congress reported.
Additionally, it should be ensured that federal employees laid off during the shutdown can be rehired and any unpaid wages then paid. Government support for food purchases through the SNAP program (“Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program”) will also be funded until the end of September 2026.
The debate in Congress continues
After the first procedural step, the Senate must now approve the relevant package. Once this agreement is reached, the bill will return to the DPR and must be approved as well. Depending on the resistance of both parties, this process could take days.
The compromise touted by Kaine does provide a vote on extending certain subsidies to reduce health insurance contributions. However, this does not guarantee their continued existence. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said
The Democratic minority leader in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, said before the Senate vote that he would not support any legislation that would allow the subsidies to end. Youth MP Maxwell Frost described the plan as “unacceptable”: Without the extension, almost 200,000 people in his constituency would have to “pay 50 to 300 per cent more for the same or even worse health insurance”.
