An agreement to end the 40-day government shutdown reached by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Angus King (I-ME) and Republican senators received the support of a sufficient number of Democratic members to clear the 60-vote threshold to proceed to consideration in the Senate last night. A procedural vote related to the House-passed funding measure, which was blocked multiple times previously, gained the required number of votes, 60-40, and that bill will become the legislative vehicle for a new, longer funding patch.

The elements of the deal to end the shutdown include:

• the promise of a vote on an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits by the end of the second week of December
• a continuing resolution (CR) until January 30, 2026
• provisions to reinstate federal workers who lost their jobs due to reductions in force (RIFs)
• passage of the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, Agriculture (which includes the Food and Drug Administration), and Legislative Branch minibus appropriations package

In addition to the dealmakers (Hassan, Shaheen, and King), Democratic votes in favor were:

• Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and John Fetterman (D-PA), who previously supported the House CR
• Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL)
• Tim Kaine (D-VA)
• Jacky Rosen (D-NV)

Additional votes are required toward final passage of the new CR package. While senators hope that will happen today ahead of Veterans Day tomorrow, unanimous consent will be required to expedite the process. The House must then pass the measure, likely targeted for Wednesday or Thursday.

The promise of a vote on extending the enhanced ACA credits was appearing to break the partisan impasse over the issue last week, but some Democrats said an ACA vote separate from the CR was unacceptable. That feeling persists among many Democratic senators beyond those who provided the votes to advance the funding measure last night. But Senator King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, suggested Republicans weren't willing to relent on adding the ACA credits issue to the CR, and the promise of a vote ups the chances of acting on the issue. "King said 'the length of the shutdown' persuaded Democrats to support the deal, many elements of which had been on the negotiating table for weeks," the Hill reported.

Senator Shaheen said "everybody will consider" voting against another government funding measure in January if an ACA credits bill can't be passed before then, Semafor reported.

The new CR prevents additional RIFs and provides, "Any employee who received notice of being subject to such a reduction in force shall have that notice rescinded and be returned to employment status as of September 30, 2025, without interruption."

The three bills that make up the minibus appropriations bill were also finalized yesterday.

Health care — On November 9, President Trump said in a social media post that, as opposed to ACA subsidies, "I believe that the money should go directly to THE PEOPLE to purchase better Healthcare, and create competition. This enrichment of Health Insurance companies must stop. It is long past time to lower Premiums, not enrich Insurance Companies. I stand ready to work with both Parties to solve this problem once the Government is open."

On ABC's "This Week," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, "We're not proposing it to the Senate right now." On CBS's "Face the Nation," Kevin Hassett, Director of the National Economic Council, said about the President, "he's brainstorming and trying to help the Senate come up with a deal that can get the government open. And one of the things you could do is, conservatives believe that they don't want the government to micromanage peoples' lives … so why not take the people who have higher health care premiums and just mail them a check and let them decide?"

The idea seems consistent with a floor speech by Senate Finance Committee member and HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) on Friday during which he said, "Instead of paying insurance companies to manage our money, let's trust Americans to manage their own care — with a pre-funded Federal Flexible Spending Account."

Trade — In another November 9 social media post, President Trump said, "People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS! We are now the Richest, Most Respected Country In the World, With Almost No Inflation, and A Record Stock Market Price. 401k's are Highest EVER. We are taking in Trillions of Dollars and will soon begin paying down our ENORMOUS DEBT, $37 Trillion. Record Investment in the USA, plants and factories going up all over the place. A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone."

Asked how that amount would be paid, Sec. Bessent said yesterday, "it's not about taking in the revenue, it's about re-balancing. And the revenue occurs early on. And then as we rebalance and the jobs come home, then it becomes domestic tax revenue." On whether there is a specific proposal, he said, "I haven't spoken to the president about this yet, but the $2,000 dividend could come in lots of forms, in lots of ways."