Sunday Negotiations

Lawmakers reached a deal on Sunday to end the longest government shutdown in US history.

Context

The government shutdown began on October 1 when Congress failed to pass new funding legislation. The impasse centered on disagreements over extending Covid-era Affordable Care Act (ACA, Obamacare) subsidies, which Democrats demanded and Republicans initially refused to negotiate. 

The shutdown affected federal workers' paychecks, food assistance programs, and other government services. 

Last week, flight cancellations started to mount as unpaid airline traffic controllers stopped coming into work. Amid the resulting pressure, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) kept the Senate in session through the weekend in an effort to reach a deal.

Democrats Break Ranks

On Sunday evening, Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Angus King (I-ME) said that they had secured enough Democratic votes to end the shutdown after emerging from a closed-door meeting.