How closed-door negotiations and a guarantee ended longest government shutdown on record
Several weeks into the government shutdown, the notion of reopening seemed impossible. Both Senate Republicans and Democrats were deeply entrenched in their positions for 41 days and 40 nights, and...
By Fox News · Fox News
Several weeks into the government shutdown , the notion of reopening seemed impossible. Both Senate Republicans and Democrats were deeply entrenched in their positions for 41 days and 40 nights, and neither side wanted to appear to be caving to the other. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y., and his caucus wanted a guaranteed deal on expiring Obamacare subsidies, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., argued that the government needed to reopen first. SENATE DEMOCRATS CAVE, OPEN PATH TO REOPENING GOVERNMENT But an explosion of bipartisan talks, pushed by external pressures of federal workers going unpaid, federal food benefits in jeopardy, and air travel grinding to a standstill, invigorated a working group of senators to build an off-ramp out of the historic closure. The result was a bipartisan deal that included a trio of spending bills meant to jump-start the government funding process, an extension of the original House-passed continuing resolution (CR) to Jan. 30, 2026, to provide time to fund the government the old-fashioned way, and a renewed guarantee that Senate Democrats would get their vote on expiring Obamacare subsidies . In the end, the shutdown dragged on for 43 days, with the climactic vote to end it and send the package to the White House unfolding in the House on Wednesday. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., who was part of crafting the final spending deal, said discussions on those three bills had begun "long before" the shutdown. "We certainly had some knotty issues, a hemp issue, disagreements on funding levels and all that. But for the most part, we worked those through. And I would tell you from our side and I would assume from the other, the three big players were the Cardinals themselves," Cole said, referring to the three House Republican subcommittee chairs who led discussions on the three individual bills. DEMOCRAT LAWMAKER BLASTS SENATE COLLEAGUES FOR CAVING IN SHUTDOWN DEAL "Our Democratic co…