The 2025 government shutdown ended when a bipartisan group in Congress voted to advance and pass a funding package: in the Senate, every Republican except Rand Paul of Kentucky joined eight members of the Democratic caucus for a 60–40 cloture vote on November 9 and a 60–40 passage vote the next day; in the House on November 12, the bill cleared 222–209, with six Democrats voting yes and two Republicans voting no. President Trump signed it that evening, ending the longest federal funding lapse in United States history at 43 days.
The Eight Democrats Who Voted Yes in the Senate
Eight members of the Senate Democratic caucus broke from their leadership to help end the shutdown. They were Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, independent Angus King of Maine, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada.1U.S. Senate. Roll Call Vote 119-1, No. 610
Shaheen led the negotiations, working with Hassan and King out of King’s Capitol basement office over several weeks of talks with Majority Leader John Thune and the White House.2PBS NewsHour. 8 Democrats Voted With Republicans on a Shutdown Deal3Roll Call. Deal to End Government Shutdown Goes Down to the Wire in Senate She called the agreement “the only deal on the table.” King said it had become clear the shutdown “would not produce” the desired result on health care subsidies.
Kaine pointed to the inclusion of a moratorium on what he called “baseless firings” of federal workers. Durbin acknowledged the bill was “not perfect” but said it reduced the shutdown’s harm and secured a commitment from Thune for a December Senate vote on Affordable Care Act subsidies.4BBC. Senate Democrats Who Voted to End Shutdown Cortez Masto, who said she had cast 15 separate votes to reopen the government over the course of the shutdown, cited food bank lines in Nevada she called the longest since the pandemic.5Politico. Senate Democrats Shutdown Vote Fetterman, the most direct of the eight, called the shutdown a “failure” that “should never have come to this.”2PBS NewsHour. 8 Democrats Voted With Republicans on a Shutdown Deal
The One Republican Who Voted No
Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only Republican senator to oppose the bill. His objection was not to the funding levels but to a provision banning unregulated hemp products containing THC. Paul argued on the Senate floor that the provision was “tantamount to prohibition” and would devastate Kentucky’s hemp industry.6BBC. Senate Spending Measure Vote
The House Vote: Six Democrats Yes, Two Republicans No
The House passed the bill 222–209 on November 12 despite an explicit push from Democratic leadership against it. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats would “strongly oppose any legislation that does not decisively address the Republican healthcare crisis,” and Minority Whip Katherine Clark recommended a “no” vote. The Rules Committee rejected a Democratic amendment to include ACA subsidies the morning of the vote.7Al Jazeera. House to Vote on Bill to End US Shutdown
Six Democrats broke ranks and voted yes: Henry Cuellar of Texas, Don Davis of North Carolina, Adam Gray of California, Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, and Tom Suozzi of New York. Two Republicans voted no: Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Greg Steube of Florida.8NPR. House Vote to End Shutdown
President Trump signed the bill into law that evening in the Oval Office, saying, “Today we’re sending a clear message that we will never give in to extortion.”9Politico. Trump Signs Bill Ending Longest Government Shutdown in US History
Earlier Failed Votes and Who Crossed Lines
The final tally did not come out of nowhere. Throughout October, the Senate held repeated procedural votes that fell short of the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster. On October 3, the House-passed continuing resolution failed 54–44, and a Democratic alternative failed 46–52.10American Hospital Association. Senate Again Fails to Pass CR, Government Shutdown Continues On October 8, the Republican bill again got 54 votes and the Democratic version 47.11CNBC. Government Shutdown Senate Vote
A small group of senators consistently crossed party lines during these earlier rounds. Fetterman, Cortez Masto, and King voted with Republicans on the clean continuing resolution as early as October 3. Paul voted against his own party’s proposal in the same votes.11CNBC. Government Shutdown Senate Vote The Republican Study Committee counted ten consecutive Senate Democratic votes to keep the government closed before the bipartisan deal took shape.12Republican Study Committee. Senate Democrats Vote for 10th Time to Keep Government Shut Down
What the Bill Contained
The 328-page package that carried the deciding votes had several main components:13PBS NewsHour. What’s in the Senate Shutdown Deal
- Short-term funding for most government agencies through January 30, 2026, at fiscal 2025 levels.
- Full-year appropriations through September 2026 for the Department of Veterans Affairs, military construction, the Department of Agriculture, WIC, SNAP, and the legislative branch. WIC funding rose by $603 million to $8.2 billion.
- A mandate to reverse all layoffs that occurred during the shutdown within five days, a ban on further reductions in force through January 2026, and guaranteed backpay for furloughed workers and those who worked without pay.14Government Executive. Senate Moves on Shutdown-Ending Deal
- Reimbursement for states that had spent their own funds to maintain federal programs during the shutdown.
- A commitment from Majority Leader Thune to hold a December Senate floor vote on an ACA subsidy extension bill of the Democrats’ choosing. The deal itself did not extend the subsidies.
- Increased security funding for the Supreme Court, U.S. Marshals, and members of Congress; a ban on unregulated THC-containing hemp products; and a prohibition on the VA purchasing technology from listed Chinese manufacturers.
The Backlash Against the Senators Who Voted Yes
The eight-senator crossover set off a public fight inside the Democratic Party. Senator Bernie Sanders called it “a very, very bad vote” and said the deal “raises health care premiums for over 20 million Americans.” Elizabeth Warren called it a “terrible mistake.” Chris Murphy labeled it “indefensible,” writing that his fear was that “Trump gets stronger, not weaker, because of this acquiescence.”15ABC News. Democrats Face Blowback Over Shutdown Deal16NPR. Shutdown Deal Democrats and Midterm Elections
Democratic governors piled on. California’s Gavin Newsom called the decision “pathetic.” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker labeled the promised ACA vote an “empty promise.” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called it a “deeply disappointing result.”15ABC News. Democrats Face Blowback Over Shutdown Deal In one especially personal rebuke, Stefany Shaheen, Senator Shaheen’s daughter and a congressional candidate, publicly opposed her mother’s vote.
House Minority Leader Jeffries said the senators who supported the deal “are going to have to explain themselves.” Frustration also reached Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who had voted against the bill but failed to hold his caucus together. Representatives Ro Khanna and Mike Levin publicly called for his ouster. Khanna said, “Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced.”15ABC News. Democrats Face Blowback Over Shutdown Deal Analysts noted the average age of the eight crossover senators was 70.17PBS. Democrats Divided After Moderates Split to End Shutdown
No formal challenge to Schumer materialized. Senate Democrats said there was “no appetite” for an immediate ouster and no real mechanism to force one outside of scheduled leadership elections in December 2026.18Semafor. Schumer’s Democrats Put Off Their Leadership Debate Until After the Midterms Jeffries publicly backed Schumer. Sanders, asked who might replace him, said, “Who’s going to replace him?”19Politico. Chuck Schumer Shutdown Senate Backlash