OPINION: On Nov. 12, President Donald Trump signed a funding package to end the longest federal shutdown in U.S. history, which lasted 43 days. Throughout most of the shutdown, the Senate was responsible for reopening the government, but Democrats consistently blocked the bill from passing.
Week after week and vote after vote with no end in sight, the only Democrat who initially voted for the spending package was John Fetterman (D-PA). Despite Republicans’ pleas for Senate Democrats to understand the severity of the situation, it wasn’t until the 15th vote and the longest U.S. Government shutdown that Democrats were finally convinced to reopen the government.
The Democrats’ refusal to concede ended up causing more harm than good to federal workers and organizations. Their insistence on extending healthcare provisions led to a historic shutdown.
That changed on Nov. 10, when the Senate reached the 60-vote threshold to send the bill to the House. The House’s final vote was 222 to 209, with six Democrats and two Republicans voting against their party.
In a bipartisan effort for the betterment of our nation, Senator Fetterman and seven additional senators, including six Democrats and one independent, crossed party lines. These senators were Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada (D), Angus King of Maine (I), Dick Durban of Illinois (D), Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire (D), Tim Kaine of Virginia (D), Jackie Rosen of Nevada (D), and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire (D).
While the proposed legislation did manage to pass through Congress for President Trump to sign, it wasn’t without numerous compromises being made.
Many Democrats strongly opposed the bill because of the expiring health care tax credits, which was a key issue for the left. However, the question remains: at what price?
According to CBS News, “The shutdown impacted 42 million federal food aid recipients, 670,000 furloughed federal employees and 4,000 government workers who faced layoffs. It also threatened more than $7 billion in economic damage.”
In order to find common ground regarding this nationwide suffrage issue, the Senate eventually reached an agreement that incorporated the following provision into the spending bill.
The measure includes the final FY 2026 appropriations bills for Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Legislative Branch. This package, originally passed by the Senate on Aug. 1 with bipartisan support, provides full-year funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Our very own Senator Susan Collins has been advocating for these appropriations bills to be included in the continuing resolution to end the government shutdown and should be taken into consideration.
“This short-term continuing resolution would reopen government immediately, provide back pay to all federal workers and fund important federal programs on which many Americans rely. The three full-year appropriations bills would support veterans, troops, farmers, and rural communities in Maine and across the country. As the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, I am delighted with today’s accomplishment, and I hope the House of Representatives will pass this legislation quickly so we can put an end to this unnecessary government shutdown,” said Senator Collins.
Although the democrats didn’t secure their desired health care funding, Senators King, Shaheen, and Hassan successfully negotiated with Senate Majority Leader John Thune to hold a vote in December on the expiring tax credits under the affordable care act.
Despite both parties not fully achieving their goals for appropriations, the reopening of the federal government is a significant victory for all Americans.
Our great nation is no longer held back by its own inaction.
While budgetary challenges will continue to arise and future shutdowns may be possible, I applaud the Republicans, as well as a few Democrats and an independent, for making the right call to keep the U.S. Government operational.
