The 40-day government shutdown came to an end Sunday night after eight Senate Democrats joined Republicans in advancing and passing a House-passed continuing resolution to fund the government.
“Some Senate Democrats finally have stepped forward to end the pain. It appears to us this morning that our long national nightmare is finally coming to an end and we’re grateful for that,” Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday morning at his press conference.
The Senate voted 60–40 to approve the measure, which will fund military construction, veterans’ affairs, the Department of Agriculture and the legislative branch through September 30th, with the rest of the government funded through January 3rd.
The House is expected to formally approve the package later this week, clearing the way for it to reach President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature. Speaker Mike Johnson said he will call the House back as soon as the Senate passes a government funding bill. He urged House members to “return to Washington as quickly as possible.”
The Senate is advancing an amended House continuing resolution that would reopen the government through Jan. 30. The measure includes full funding for the SNAP program through September 2026, guaranteed back pay for federal workers affected by the shutdown, and three appropriations bills covering Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and the Legislative Branch.
Democratic Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Dick Durbin of Illinois, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Angus King of Maine voted to move the bill forward, helping end the standoff that had shuttered parts of the government for more than a month.
The vote marks a bipartisan breakthrough after weeks of gridlock that left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay and disrupted key government services nationwide.
“The problem we have with air travel is that our air traffic controllers are overworked and underpaid, and many of them have called in sick. It’s very stressful job, and even more stressful exponentially when they’re having trouble providing for their families. And so, air travel has been grinding to a halt in many places. And as of Sunday, nearly half of all domestic flights and U.S. Flights were either canceled or delayed and some very serious situations,” said Johnson.
