On Sunday, the situation regarding the party’s funding issues deteriorated further as Senate Democrats opted to drop government funding efforts without receiving any significant concessions.
In a vote on Sunday night, eight Senate Democrats sided with 42 Republicans to support a procedural measure that would authorize a continuing resolution (CR) for government operations.
The motion secured a 60-40 approval with no remaining votes, paving the way for a future vote on a clean continuing resolution that would last until January 30, 2026. This resolution encompasses three generally non-controversial spending bills set to continue through the fiscal year: funding for Agriculture, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and the Legislature.
This agreement includes provisions for back pay for federal employees, guarantees rehiring for over 4,000 federal workers who were let go during the shutdown, and establishes a ban on future layoffs until January 30. However, these positions represent only a small fraction of the approximately 250,000 jobs cut by the Trump administration prior to the shutdown.
Significantly, the deal does not secure an extension of the enhanced premium subsidies for Obamacare that were put in place during the pandemic. Democrats have only assured votes on the specifics they prefer.
“I’ve been telling my Democratic colleagues for weeks that I intend to vote on their proposal, and I plan to do so by the second week of December,” stated Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) before the vote.
Even if such a bill advances in the Senate, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has yet to commit to presenting it in the House.
This has resulted in Democrats once more over-promising results for their supporters but ultimately delivering nothing substantial, leaving them grappling with 40 days of setbacks.
Democratic Senators Maggie Hassan (New Hampshire), Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire), Dick Durbin (Illinois), Jacky Rosen (Nevada), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) supported the procedural move. They joined Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NM), Angus King (I-ME), and John Fetterman (D-PA), who had already voted to allow the CR passed by the House to proceed.
Republican Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky also voted against the measure in earlier votes.
This led to another win for Thune. He recessed the Senate over the weekend to pursue an agreement and promised to continue his efforts until one is achieved.
Perhaps more notably, this vote represented a significant and damaging blow to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Both moderate and liberal members of his own party criticized his strategy regarding the shutdown on Sunday night.
Schumer is increasingly viewed as a problematic figure by the influential left wing of the Democratic Party, and his grasp on the minority leader role appears more precarious.
Significantly, the Democratic senators who supported the move to restart the government won’t be up for re-election in 2026.
Cortez Masto, Fetterman, and Hassan are not set to run again until 2028, while Kaine, Rosen, and King won’t face elections until 2030. Shaheen and Durbin are retiring.
Meanwhile, Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), the most at-risk incumbent Democrat, voted against the measure.
The voting process extended for more than an hour to allow Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), who was in Texas during a competitive primary race, to reach Washington.
For swift passage, the Senate will require unanimous consent by a specific deadline, but a final vote is expected by midweek. After that, the amended bill will need to clear the House of Representatives.
