Senate Republicans seek Democratic support to break filibuster on funding
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Fox has learned that Senate Republicans are hopeful that enough Senate Democrats might be willing to join them to break the filibuster in a test vote to fund the government by January. This proposal would also fund the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as Congress, through September 30, 2026.
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If Republicans can persuade enough Democrats to vote yes, the Senate could vote as early as tomorrow to break the filibuster on this combined bill. This requires 60 years.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks at a news conference with other members of the Senate Republican leadership following a policy luncheon on October 28, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Nathan Posner/Anatolia via Getty Images)
But the status of Obamacare subsidies is unclear. Democrats have resisted due to the lack of a concrete solution to increase health premiums.
“They’re looking for a way out,” said a Senate source familiar with Democratic thinking.
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Fox was told that air traffic control and flight delays are a major consideration in Democrats’ thinking.
A canceled flight is shown on the departure screen at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., on Nov. 7, 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration imposed cuts to ease pressure on air traffic controllers, who are working without pay during Congress’ paralysis to fund the US budget. Forty airports were expected to slow down, including giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP)
Senate GOP leadership is believed to be reluctant to force a vote on the combined spending bill in the chamber without guarantee that it would break a filibuster.
A Senate source told Fox it would be “bad form at this stage” to endure a failed procedural vote on a plan that Republicans believe is the only way out of the impasse of shutting down the government.
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Moreover, if these Democrats leave without reaching an agreement on health care, it would be a blow to progressives and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). This would also mark the first real progress toward reopening the government.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) walks to speak at a press conference following the weekly Senate Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on June 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. During the press conference, Senate Democrats spoke to reporters about anti-ICE demonstrations across the country and shootings in Minnesota that left one state lawmaker dead and another injured. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
If enough Democrats say yes, Fox is told the Senate could hold a test vote Saturday night. If the Senate breaks the filibuster, the Senate may not take a final vote on the package until Monday or Tuesday, according to the book. But Fox was told there was a distinct possibility Democrats could turn back the clock to speed up the process.
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If the Senate is to approve the agreement, that task is in the hands of the House of Representatives. However, the Parliament’s attitude towards this law is unclear. And the House won’t even consider this plan until the middle of next week at the earliest.
But if the House moves in lockstep with the Senate, the government will reopen for at least a few months.
