Deal to END government shutdown breaks major hurdle as Democrats join GOP rivals to reach agreement

The longest shutdown in U.S. history may finally be over as Democrats join their Republican rivals in reaching a tentative deal to end the chaos.

A groundbreaking deal to break a 40-day government impasse was drawn up by lawmakers locked in tense negotiations in a rare session on Sunday in an effort to find a solution.

The shutdown caused 42 million Americans to lose SNAP benefits, airlines to cancel thousands of flights, and more than a million federal workers to be left without income.

However, with insiders confirming this, there is now light at the end of the tunnel. CNN And axios Republicans had secured enough Democratic votes to implement a stopgap measure that would allow government funding to continue through the end of January.

The measure is currently on a formal vote in the Senate, then moves to the House of Representatives and eventually returns to President Donald Trump’s desk for signature.

When Trump returned to the White House on Sunday, he told reporters: ‘It looks like we’re getting closer to the end of the shutdown.’

‘We will never agree to give significant amounts of money, or any money, to illegal individuals coming into this country, and I think the Democrats understand that.’

The agreement reportedly includes a clause guaranteeing that federal employees laid off during the shutdown will be reinstated to their jobs, as well as an assurance that such measures will not be implemented in the future.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) announced progress toward a deal early Sunday

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (pictured) remains locked in tense negotiations to reach a deal. On Sunday, Republicans announced they would oppose the plan

It also reportedly provides food stamp funding through the end of fiscal year 2026.

Democrats had previously voted 14 times against Republican resolutions to reopen the government while negotiations continued.

To this point, party leaders had refused to work with the GOP to reopen the government unless they agreed to extend subsidies for health plans offered under the Affordable Care Act.

Although they hold a majority in Congress, Republicans have only 53 seats in the Senate, fewer than the 60 votes needed to pass a funding bill.

Both sides are uneasy about the escalating consequences of the shutdown. They want the government to take office again before the situation worsens.

Concerns range from delayed flights and unpaid federal workers to economic hardship and the suspension of food aid to vulnerable families.

The crisis reached boiling point last week when 42 million Americans receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were notified that they had run out of money due to the shutdown for the first time in history.

More than 730,000 public employees are currently working without pay, and a further 600,000 people have been put on unpaid leave due to the crisis.

Transport Secretary Sean Duffy then warned that staff shortages were worsening as a result of the closure and could potentially reduce air travel just in time for the holiday season.

On Sunday alone, more than 2,000 flights into, out of, and within the United States were canceled and another 7,000 were delayed.

Bernie Sanders (pictured leaving Sunday’s Senate caucus) harshly criticized the deal

The measure came up for a vote in the Senate on Sunday night (pictured)

On Sunday alone, more than 2,000 flights into, out of, and within the United States were canceled and another 7,000 were delayed.

Travel chaos will worsen as airlines are required to gradually reduce their schedules further next week.

But not all Democrats agree with the decision to work with Republicans to end the shutdown.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer walked out of a closed-door meeting Sunday evening following reports that Republicans had gotten the numbers they needed.

“I’m voting no,” he said, adding that Americans “need healthcare” every day.

Senator Elissa Slotkin said: ‘I’ve always said something concrete needs to be done on healthcare, and it’s hard to see how.’

And Senator Bernie Sanders warned that giving in to Republican demands after such a resounding win in last week’s state election would be ‘a policy and political disaster’.

“My sense is that bowing to Trump right now would be a terrible mistake,” he said.

‘In fact, if the Democrats caved in on this, they would be said to have given Donald Trump the green light to move towards authoritarianism, and I think that would be a tragedy for this country.’

Travel chaos will worsen as airlines are required to gradually reduce their schedules further next week

As many as 42 million Americans struggle with food insecurity since SNAP benefits ran out

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he and other House members were determined to “fight” against the deal.

‘We will not support spending legislation advanced by Senate Republicans who have failed to expand the Affordable Care Act tax credits,’ Jeffries said.

‘We will fight the GOP bill in the House of Representatives; ‘where Mike Johnson will have to end his seven-week Republican taxpayer-funded vacation.’

But Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine announced he would vote in favor of the proposal after receiving a promise to give laid-off federal workers their jobs back along with back pay.

“This legislation will protect federal employees against wrongful terminations, reinstate those wrongfully fired during the shutdown, and ensure federal employees receive back pay, as required by a law I introduced in 2019,” Kaine said.

‘This is a critical step that will help federal employees and all Americans who rely on government services.’

Independent Maine Sen. Angus King was also convinced, noting that the unprecedented length of the shutdown had forced some to rethink the initial subsidies they had requested.

“I think people were saying, ‘We’re not going to get what we want,'” he said.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (pictured) criticized the deal Sunday night

Democratic Senator John Fetterman, who has repeatedly voted to end the shutdown, told his colleagues to do whatever it takes to get the deal passed and the American public to take notice.

‘It’s like getting the win. “You know, we had an election on Tuesday and everything went well,” he said.

‘You want to overplay your hand. ‘America, the people are not a trump card, and this is not about a political game.’

Texas Rep. Greg Casar, chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said a deal that doesn’t lower health care costs is a “betrayal” to millions of Americans who trust Democrats to fight for them.

‘Accepting anything other than the Republicans’ pinky finger is not compromise, it’s surrender,’ Casar said in a post on X. ‘Millions of families will pay the price for this.’

Reports emerged from Washington early on Sunday that a deal to end the deadlock was ‘within reach’.

At least 10 Democrats are reportedly ready to vote for the package of bills that would give Republicans the numbers they need.

The deal will reportedly include a vote in December on extending Obamacare tax credits.

In addition to funding the government through January, the stopgap will reportedly provide Congress, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Veterans Affairs with full-year funding for the next fiscal year, including for military construction projects.

Public frustration with the prolonged shutdown is intensifying and pressure is mounting for both sides to reach an agreement.

But during the negotiations, a senior Democrat acknowledged the political pressure challenges posed by his party’s shutdown.

Massachusetts Congresswoman Katherine Clark, Minority Whip of the United States House of Representatives, admitted that families struggling during the shutdown could be used as ‘leverage’ for her party.

‘Lockdowns are terrible. Of course, there will be families who are victims. We take that responsibility very seriously, but it’s one of the few advantages we have,” Clark said.

The House of Representatives has been in recess since Republicans passed the funding bill, leaving the shutdown decision to their Senate colleagues.

The Trump administration was ordered to address food insecurity as a result of the shutdown by fully funding SNAP benefits by tapping into agricultural reserves.

Feeding America’s Monica Lopez Gonzales called the situation ‘catastrophic’

SNAP typically costs about $9 billion per month. The Trump administration had planned to cover only 65 percent of November aid from emergency funds until a decision by District Judge Jack McConnell in Rhode Island.

The administration appealed, arguing that courts could not appropriate the funds, and on Friday the Supreme Court temporarily blocked McConnell’s decision, giving the White House more time to fight against the mandate.

As a result, full benefits remain uncertain, and partial payments promised by the USDA have not yet reached most households.

The fallout was immediate. Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief network, reported a sixfold increase in traffic to its food bank locator, with more than 28,000 visitors a day seeking help.

“This situation is a disaster,” said Monica Lopez Gonzales, the group’s chief marketing and communications officer. Luck. ‘Currently, 42 million people are having difficulty finding food, and their lives are being disrupted because their social assistance is disrupted.’

Food banks across the country are seeing longer lines and empty shelves. ‘The lines are getting longer and the food is running out early,’ Gonzales said. ‘We see veterans, older adults, mothers and children; ‘Everyone’s stressed.’