WASHINGTON — The federal government is one step closer to reopening after the Senate passed a new funding measure Monday.
The House will begin votes on the measure Wednesday afternoon, which could bring an end to the longest shutdown in American history.
Alabama Republican Sens. Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville voted for the bill to end the shutdown that has now lasted more than 40 days. Seven Democrats and one independent joined Republicans to make the deal possible with a vote of 60-40.
“(I’m) elated for the people of Alabama and the people across the country for the end of the shutdown to be in sight,” Britt, who has been at the center of bipartisan negotiations, told Alabama Daily News in an interview.
In a social media post, Tuberville said the “American people have suffered long enough” and expressed his support for bringing an end to the impasse.
The new spending measure will fund the government through the end of January. But it does not include an extension of the Affordable Care Act subsidies, which was the main issue Democrats have been pushing for during the shutdown.
The enhanced tax credits that were expanded in 2021 are set to expire at the end of the year. More than 400,000 Alabamians receive insurance through the ACA marketplace and the majority receive subsidies.
As part of the agreement, Majority Leader John Thune promised Democrats would get a vote on the ACA credits by the second week of December. But a vote is no guarantee, which is why a majority of Senate Democrats opposed the measure.
“This healthcare crisis is so severe, so urgent, so devastating for families back home, that I cannot in good faith support this CR that fails to address the healthcare crisis,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, said on the Senate floor.
Three full-year spending bills were also added to the package to fund agricultural programs, such as SNAP food aid, military construction and veterans programs. Those programs will be funded through the next fiscal year, ensuring they don’t get interrupted during another spending fight come January. Britt, an appropriator, spearheaded that effort.
“It would also be a reminder to the body of how to work together and actually achieve results,” she told ADN.
A key component of securing enough Democratic support to reach the 60-vote threshold was a commitment from the White House that the Trump administration would rehire all federal employees laid off during the shutdown. The deal also restricts further reductions in force through the new funding date, Jan. 30. Under the bill, all federal employees, including those who are furloughed, will receive back pay.
Those provisions helped propel Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia to support the measure. His state is home to hundreds of thousands of federal employees. Britt helped advance negotiations on the federal workforce piece between Kaine and the White House. She spent much of the weekend working the phones, trying to reach an agreement that would allow the White House and the Virginia senator to sign off on the deal.
“(I was) figuring out what he needed to be able to provide for his constituency within the framework of what the White House was willing to do, and so being a liaison between…those two parties, and obviously Senate leadership, trying to find a pathway forward and ultimately land the plane,” she told ADN.
Kaine and Britt have previously worked together on legislation related to child care affordability.
After voting to advance the measure to end the shutdown Sunday night, Kaine credited Britt, along with other Senate Republicans, for taking the time to address his concerns about the treatment of federal employees. The pair also could be seen shaking hands on the Senate floor Sunday.
“I need a moratorium on the punishing of the federal workforce,” Kaine said during a press conference. “That’s what I need. So I joined this group to make sure that we could get important protections for federal employees.”
On Monday afternoon, Trump reiterated that he would keep his end of the bargain on the federal workforce agreement, telling reporters, “I’ll abide by the deal.”
Soon, the House will return to vote on the Senate-passed bill. Lawmakers will return to the Capitol for the first time in more than 50 days. Johnson has kept House members out of Washington throughout the entirety of the gridlock.
In light of the massive flight disruptions, Johnson urged all House members Monday morning “to begin right now returning to the Hill.”
For the most part, House Democrats will remain opposed to the measure, citing the lack of health care guarantees.
Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, came out immediately against the reopening plan Sunday night. She reiterated her opposition to the new agreement in a social media video Monday.
“This so-called ‘deal’ is not a deal in my opinion,” Sewell said on X. “It’s an empty promise from the Republicans to help solve a health care crisis that they caused. It does nothing to extend ACA tax credits that help my constituents afford health care. To me, it is nothing more than an empty promise.”
Follow Us