Senators reach tentative deal to end the government shutdown

WASHINGTON — Senators struck an agreement Sunday, projecting confidence that it will be sufficient to end the lengthy U.S. government shutdown, three sources with direct knowledge of the details told NBC News.

The agreement, reached by a group of Democrats who teamed up with Republicans, should have the necessary 60 votes to clear the Senate, these sources said. It would then need to pass the House and earn President Donald Trump’s signature to become law and reopen the government. Even if it has enough support to clear those hurdles, the process is expected to take days.

The agreement contains a “minibus” of three full-year appropriations bills that will fund certain departments, like Agriculture, through the end of the fiscal year next fall. It also includes a continuing resolution to fund the rest of the government at existing spending levels through January 30.

Significantly, the deal would fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), once known as food stamps, through next September — a major flashpoint in the shutdown. The sources also said the deal reverses Trump’s attempted layoffs of federal workers during the shutdown through RIFs, or “reduction in force” notifications.

However, in a major concession from Democrats, the agreement does not include an extension of expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. Allowing these funds to lapse would raise insurance premiums for millions of Americans unless they are extended.

Instead, Democrats settled for a promise that the Senate will vote on a bill to extend the subsidies by the end of the second week of December. The outcome, however, remains uncertain, according to two of the sources. Even then, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has said he won’t promise that the House will vote on extending the subsidies.

The deal to end the shutdown was negotiated by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), and Angus King (I-Vt.), and gained approval from Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and the White House, according to the sources.

At least eight Democrats are expected to vote “yes,” in addition to the 52 Republicans who have been supporting a stopgap funding bill. The agreement came just days after Republicans emphatically rejected a proposal by Democrats to reopen the government alongside a one-year extension of ACA funding.

The Senate could start voting on the bill as early as Sunday night. Final passage through the Senate could be quick, but any one senator who opposes the deal could drag out the process for days.

If the bill passes the Senate, it would then head to the House, which has been on recess since September. It is not yet clear whether the deal has the support of House Democrats.

Reaction among Senate Democrats has been mixed. Senator Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said he will oppose the deal, citing its failure to extend the ACA tax credits.

“I have been clear on this from the beginning: I will not turn my back on the 24 million Americans who will see their premiums more than double if we don’t extend these tax credits,” he said.

Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said he will vote in favor of the agreement.

“I have long said that to earn my vote, we need to be on a path toward fixing Republicans’ health care mess and to protect the federal workforce,” Kaine said. “This deal guarantees a vote to extend Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, which Republicans weren’t willing to do. Lawmakers know their constituents expect them to vote for it, and if they don’t, they could very well be replaced at the ballot box by someone who will.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senators-reach-tentative-deal-end-government-shutdown-rcna242401

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