Senate Democrats who defected in shutdown vote: ‘This was the only deal’ | US federal government shutdown 2025
After weeks of false starts and failed votes, the U.S. Senate received the 60 votes needed late Sunday night to pass a compromise resolution that would reopen the federal government, with seven Democrats and an independent party siding with Republicans supporting the measure to send it back to the House for another vote. The Democratic caucus directed anger at the asylum seekers, who nevertheless branded their decision as the best option available.
They included Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and King Angus of Maine, an independent who caucused with Democrats. Republican senator Rand Paul from Kentucky was the only member of his party to vote against the bill, which has been in the works for weeks.
Many of the Democrats who switched votes are facing looming political transitions. Shaheen and Durbin retire at the end of this term, while Hassan and Rosen face re-election challenges in 2026. Fetterman, Cortez Masto and King have sided with Republicans since day one.
The legislation extends government funding through Jan. 30, 2026, and includes provisions to stop mass layoffs of federal employees by the Trump administration, reverse layoffs that occurred during the shutdown and guarantee back pay. It also prohibits additional workforce reductions by government departments and agencies until the end of January.
In his statement after the vote, Shaheen stood by his decision. “This was the only deal on the table. It was our best chance to immediately begin negotiations to reopen the government and expand the ACA tax credits,” he said.
Kaine, whose state of Virginia is home to a significant federal workforce, said the agreement met his needs. “This legislation will protect federal employees from wrongful terminations, reinstate those wrongfully fired during the shutdown, and ensure federal employees receive back pay,” he said.
Facing pressure from Nevada’s tourism and hospitality industries, Cortez Masto has sided with avoiding a government shutdown from the beginning. “We must expand the ACA’s enhanced premium tax credits, but not at the expense of millions of Americans… [affected] through a shutdown,” one said in September expression.
King, who has favored reopening the government from the beginning, offered a more sober assessment of the impasse. “The question was: Is a resolution on the ACA becoming more likely? It looks like … a lot of people are getting hurt in the meantime.” he told reporters.
Durbin, who is retiring, defended the compromise while also acknowledging the bill’s limitations. “This bill is not perfect, but it takes important steps to alleviate the pain of the shutdown,” he said in a statement.
But those statements did nothing to calm anger within the Democratic caucus, including Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, who said his colleagues had abandoned the party’s negotiating position, arguing that the compromise took away critical clout to expand enhanced ACA tax credits without firm commitments from Republicans.
“No matter how this vote turns out, this fight will and must continue,” Schumer said. he said in a statement before voting.
The new measure must now return to the House for another vote, but Democratic leadership has already signaled fierce opposition to it. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries Senate rejects compromise Even before the vote took place, he said House Democrats would not support “a promise, a wing and a prayer from the people who have been destroying the health care of the American people for years.”
Republicans have a slim majority in the House of Representatives; That means if they stay united, they can pass the bill without Democratic support. But the razor-thin margin means even a handful of Republicans could jeopardize the resolution’s passage.
The shutdown, the longest in American history, centers on a dispute over extending the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits. Voting from KFFA nonpartisan health policy research group shows 48 percent of Americans support Democrats’ refusal to approve a budget without tax credits even if it extends the shutdown, while 50 percent favor a quick end to the shutdown even without an extension.
Other studies have shown that Most Americans blame Republicans We aim to close with double-digit margins.
