The United States of America has entered its 41st day in the government shutdown, making it the longest in U.S. history. The end is in sight; however, the Senate has approved a package to end the shutdown with a 60-40 vote. A bill has been sent to the House for their vote, and they say the government could reopen as early as Wednesday afternoon.
Votes in The House and Senate
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer told lawmakers that the House is expected to start voting on the approved Senate bill as early as 4 p.m. on Wednesday, November 12, 2025. They expect to take multiple votes, and if it passes, it will be sent to President Trump’s desk for final approval. Members of the House have been out of session since September 19, when the government initially shut down after lawmakers passed the original continuing resolution.
Late last week, eight Democrats informed the political parties that they are ready to vote again and reopen the government. The Senate voted on day 41 to approve the funding package, which resulted in a 60-40 vote, making us one step closer to ending the longest government shutdown in history. On Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson told members to begin returning so that the vote can happen as soon as possible. He warned of travel delays across the country since the shutdown has caused 6% of flights to be canceled at 40 of the busiest airports. Neither chamber is in session today as it is Veterans Day.
Extending Funding
The final legislation will extend funding for most agencies until January 30, 2026, including three full-year funding bills for other parts of the government. House Republicans are not concerned with the bill passing and expect it to be on President Trump’s desk by Thursday morning, concluding the shutdown.
Members of the Senate have not agreed to the Democrats’ demand to extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies. However, the final legislation includes funds to operate federal food aid programs, such as the Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program, and veterans programs, through the end of fiscal year 2026. Democrats fear the same fight over funding will occur again in January 2026 when the continuing resolution comes to an end.
Effects of a Government Shutdown
Many have been affected by the government shutdown, including federal workers, government employees, SNAP recipients, etc. Workers have gone without pay for the duration of the shutdown. Air traffic controllers will still miss a second full paycheck, as they were expected to be paid today. “It is tough when your children are asking you questions about, Dad, can we, you know, go on vacation, or can we do this, or can we do dance, or could we do basketball, and you don’t have those extra funds. It is terrible,” Joe Segretto told CBS News.
Due to 41 days without a paycheck, many have been absent from their duties because they are forced to make ends meet in other ways. Although all employees will receive back pay once the shutdown is over, they still have to continue paying to live. Federal law states that back pay is required to be sent “at the earliest date possible after the lapse in appropriations ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates.”
Ending the Fight
Three Democrats have been consistently voting with Republicans throughout the shutdown to end the madness. Democratic Senator John Fetterman, one of the three, believes the seven other Democrats who joined in realized “this has to end.” He joined “CBS Mornings” on Monday for an interview where he stated, “I’ve been one of the very few that have been voting consistently since the beginning, that it’s always wrong to shut our government down.”
Fetterman said he deviated from his caucus during the shutdown because he knew they would have to negotiate since America put Democrats in the minority. “We would find eight people overall,” he said. “And we needed five more. And that’s exactly what happened last night.” However, that does not mean he agrees with everything in the final legislation. “Two things must be true — that I want to make health care more affordable for Obamacare, but I also think that our government should never be held as a hostage, whether it’s a Republican or it’s a Democrat, it’s always wrong,” Fetterman said.
