Senate Closes In on Shutdown Deal During Rare Sunday Session
“It is the most significant movement toward a bipartisan breakthrough in the talks to reopen the government in over a month,”
Senators returned to Capitol Hill for a rare Sunday session as lawmakers worked through the weekend to end the 40-day government shutdown. The longest in modern U.S. history.
According to CBS News, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said lawmakers “plan to vote today” on a funding measure aimed at reopening the government and passing a trio of long-term appropriations bills known as a minibus. The package would combine funding for military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the legislative branch, the FDA, and the Department of Agriculture.
“Senators are working on finalizing the text of a package of three long-term appropriations bills that would be part of the GOP plan to end the impasse,” CBS News reported. “Thune is pursuing a strategy that would involve voting to advance the House-passed continuing resolution and amending it to include the appropriations package — as well as a longer extension of government funding.”
The first of those bills, a 92-page measure funding veterans’ programs and military construction, was released Sunday afternoon. Senators are expected to review the text before any vote takes place.
Meanwhile, Axios reports that a bipartisan deal may finally be within reach. At least ten Senate Democrats have signaled they could support a procedural motion to move forward with the package, which would include a short-term continuing resolution through January and a December vote on a Democratic proposal to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits for one year.
“It is the most significant movement toward a bipartisan breakthrough in the talks to reopen the government in over a month,” Axios wrote. “Talks are fluid, and no deal is final until lawmakers have voted.”
Republicans spent much of Saturday attacking the Affordable Care Act, echoing President Trump’s criticism earlier in the day. Democrats, meanwhile, continue to push for measures that would protect laid-off federal workers affected by the shutdown.
As of Sunday afternoon, the Senate had not yet scheduled a specific vote time, but both parties appeared closer than at any point since the shutdown began.
This is a developing story. Legal Insurrection will continue to update as more details emerge from Capitol Hill.
UPDATE: From Andrew Desiderio over at Punch Bowl News, this is how the end of the shutdown could happen, starting today:
Here’s how things will work procedurally to reopen the government.
The Senate, as soon as this evening, will vote on a motion to reconsider the House-passed CR. This is simply the vehicle. Needs 60.
The new CR (Jan. 30 end date) + the 3-bill minibus would eventually be subbed…
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) November 9, 2025
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Comments
Basically, the GOP is going to cave. In steps.
A no-ball gesture.
That’s good. We need to get back to spending money we don’t have.
As they ALWAYS do.
The GOP always caves; the Democrats never.
As I said elsewhere, we badly need a new real opposition party.
Fur shure! I recommend the new party use a bear for it’s symbol.
I’d rather have Godzilla for its symbol – complete destruction of the old guard.
I could go along with that…
The problem is that our “winner take all” electoral system effectively precludes a start-up party. In fact, the stable state is single-party. Two parties are quasi-stable, but once a party gets solid control, it’s game over. See California. The GOP is vestigial. Not entirely dead–they meet every other Thursday in a basement in Modesto. Pot luck, poker game after.
Doesn’t look like it to me. The appropriations bills were already passed by the House and there was already going to be a vote on extending the Obamacare subsidies. This deal if it is what is being reported doesn’t give Dems anything and has made their childish tantrum to shut down crystal clear for what it was, something to help them in the election last week and nothing more. A political stunt.
No to healthcare for illegals
No no no no no
Contact your representatives everyday
Flood them with calls, emails
Yes! Yes! yes! That’s most likely is what this stunt is to conceal
I live in California. They couldn’t care less what I think
What is this funding for the legislative branch. Oh Congress wants to get paid. Is that it?
I think they are getting paid.
I’d rather they be tutored. (Referring to old Far Side cartoon.)
Is it true that starting with day 41, Trump can permanently shut down anything that is unfunded?
Seriously establishment doofuses? You’re going to give the democrats, the ones having the tantrum and furthering the shutdown, everything they want? And also preemptively sabotage any House rejection of this nonsense capitulation to enrich insurance companies with pandemic level irresponsible spending because any negative action by the House would label the republicans as the party obstructing an end to the shutdown?
And establishment republicans still wonder why the voting public didn’t flock to their side in the last election. Worse they’re essentially guaranteeing further electoral losses. They have my utmost contempt.
Bend over and grab your ankles, MAGA.
Thune is behind you 100% !
Same old song, same old Thune.
What dance goes with that song?
A Tarantela. The dancer simulates death at the end.
Maybe the idea that Trump will take away insurance money had an effect.
I’m afraid this is at best kicking the can down the road – again – or a prelude to (R)s caving to (D) shutdown blackmail once again.
If Trump et alia really want to fix this continuing disfunction junction – i would suggest the (R)s insist on a poison pen codicil – include legislation to stop paying congress in the future (AND THEIR STAFF) specifically when they fail to pass a spending bill or CR and the govt shuts down. And make the pay loss from the shut down period permanent – no retroactive pay for that period to be allowed. And include a provision that any 3rd party promise to reimburse those who lost money is to regarded as bribery and prosecuted.
If they can’t or won’t include it in the current negotiations make a point of bringing it up to a vote repeatedly as its own bill – make the pro-shut-down congressional office holders (and staff) have to go on the record they want to be paid when they don’t / won’t do their job.
I don’t see any R “cave” here.
Ditto. Thune, Johnson, Schumer, and Trump didn’t have anything to do with this deal. The Democrats who are crossing the aisle uniformly aren’t up for election in 2026. It’s a nearly complete Democrat wipe out. The only thing that comes close to a concession is the future ACA vote but the Democrats caved on a rule for that bill which would have bypassed the filibuster. It sounds like three 2026 appropriation bills, including one for FDA-USDA that funds SNAP, are going to be rolled into a ‘mini’bus with a modified CR extending to January. All of those bills have already passed the House and/or Senate as part of 2026 budgeting. The restored RIFs are only for those employees laid off during the shutdown, not the DOGE cuts. Nothing in this bill touches anything from the BBB. It’s a solid win.
All adults know that the filibuster will be gone the minute the Communists need to ram something through. The only reason it did not happen in 2021 was that Manchin and Sinema blocked the move – and now both are out of the Senate.
Trump is stupid to call for it. Kudos to the Senate Rs for not going along.
Deal reached in Senate.
Thune is a failure. Now it will probably be at least a week before the government can reopen, This move gives no relief to those who are working only to get paid at some unknown later date,
All they had to do was pass HR 5371 as written which goes until 11/21. That would give them time to address a longer term CR until Jan, 2026 plus the new items they want to include.
Johnson has the House in a District Work period this week, he would have to call them back early.