Senate Advances Funding Bill To End Record Shutdown

The U.S. Senate voted 60-40 on Nov. 9, 2025, in a procedural step to advance a U.S. House of Representatives-passed government funding bill that will be amended to extend federal funding through Jan. 30, 2026, and include a package of three full-year appropriations measures. The vote marked an important step toward ending the ongoing federal government shutdown, now in its 41st day — the longest in U.S. history.

Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Angus King (I-Maine) joined Republicans in voting to advance the legislation, breaking the Democratic filibuster and allowing consideration of the broader funding package to move forward.

Additional procedural steps must be taken before the government can officially reopen. The motion lawmakers passed on Nov. 9, 2025, permits up to 30 hours of debate before the next procedural vote. That second hurdle would also require 60 votes, meaning Democrats would again need to cross party lines to ensure its survival. The Senate resumed consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 5371, Continuing Appropriations, at 11:00 am ET on Nov. 10.

If passed, the final 60-vote procedural hurdle to end debate would likely come a day or two later. Any one senator may still delay consideration for several days. Notably, additional tensions have arisen from policy disputes within the Agriculture and Veterans Affairs titles — including debates over product regulation and funding priorities for veterans' care — which could further complicate Senate timing and negotiations.

Should the Senate ultimately approve the measure, it must then be taken up by the House and sent to President Donald Trump for his signature, a process that could extend into late in the week. House GOP leadership has indicated that if the Senate completes action, the chamber could reconvene as early as Nov. 12 to finalize passage.

The package combines three fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills — Agriculture-FDA, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs — with a continuing resolution (CR) to sustain funding for the remaining federal departments and agencies. The Military Construction-VA bill funds the U.S. Departments of Defense (DOD) and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) through FY 2026 and includes provisions to protect workforce stability following recent reductions in force (RIFs). The Agriculture-FDA bill maintains funding for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) operations and preserves benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) amid recent disruptions. The Legislative Branch bill maintains funding for the Government Accountability Office (GAO), representing a quiet victory for Democrats after earlier House proposals to cut the agency's budget significantly.

As part of the deal, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) committed to holding a vote by early December 2025 on separate legislation to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits, which are set to expire on Dec. 31, 2025; no comparable commitment has been made in the House.

Please note that the situation remains highly fluid, with both legislative text and procedural strategy continuing to evolve. Additional updates will be provided as details emerge.

Key Highlights

Division A – Continuing Appropriations

• Extends government funding at FY 2025 levels through Jan. 30, 2026, ending a prolonged shutdown
• Restores operations across all federal agencies and provides retroactive pay to furloughed federal and state employees
• Prohibits further RIFs and rescinds layoff notices issued since Oct. 1, 2025
• Includes limited anomalies for critical priorities such as the U.S. Marshals Service, Supreme Court security, disaster relief, wildfire management and cybersecurity

DivisionsB-D– Regular Appropriations

• Provides FY 2026 funding for Agriculture-FDA, Legislative Branch and Military Construction-VA accounts
• Military Construction-VA: Provides $153.3 billion in net discretionary funding for the VA and military construction projects. This includes $133.2 billion for FY 2026 VA funding — with $115.1 billion dedicated to veterans' medical care — and $19.7 billion for DOD construction. The measure also includes $122.3 billion in advance appropriations for FY 2027.
• Agriculture-FDA: Provides $26.7 billion in net discretionary funding for the USDA, FDA and related agencies. When including mandatory spending, total funding reaches $203.4 billion, covering commodity support, crop insurance and nutrition assistance programs. This includes $107.5 billion in mandatory funding for SNAP and $8.2 billion in discretionary funding for WIC.
• Legislative Branch: Provides $7.3 billion in discretionary funding for Congress and legislative branch agencies, including $2.1 billion for House operations and $1.5 billion for the Senate. The measure retains the freeze on automatic cost-of-living adjustments for members of U.S. Congress.

Division E – Agricultural Extensions

• Extends the 2018 Farm Bill programs and the U.S. Grain Standards Act through Sept. 30, 2026
• Maintains core USDA authorities pending enactment of a new Farm Bill

Division F – Health Extenders

• Extends funding through Jan. 30, 2026 for:
  • Community Health Centers, National Health Service Corps and Teaching Health Center GME programs
  • Key Medicare and Medicaid "extenders," including telehealth flexibilities, rural hospital and ambulance add-ons, and clinical lab payment delays
  • Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) relief
• Reauthorizes OMUFA III (Over-the-Counter Monograph User Fee Program) for FY 2026–2030
• Provides $14 million for continued implementation of the No Surprises Act

Division G – Veterans Affairs Extensions

• Extends through FY 2026 a range of VA healthcare, benefits and homelessness programs, including suicide prevention grants, specially adapted housing, Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) and VA Inspector General subpoena authority

Division H – Budgetary Effects

• Exempts the package from Statutory PAYGO (Pay-as-You-Go) and Senate PAYGO requirements to prevent sequestration cuts to Medicare, agriculture and other mandatory programs
• Resets PAYGO scorecards to zero at the end of the congressional session — a routine technical adjustment

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