The Senate took the first step to end the government shutdown on Sunday after a group of moderate Democrats, including Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), agreed to proceed without a guaranteed extension of health care subsidies, angering many in their caucus who wanted to continue the fight.

In a test vote that is the first in a series of required procedural maneuvers, the Senate voted 60-40 to move toward passing compromise legislation to fund the government and hold a later vote on extending Affordable Care Act tax credits that expire Jan. 1. Final passage could be several days away if Democrats object and delay the process.

The agreement does not guarantee the Affordable Care Act subsidies will be extended, as Democrats have demanded for almost six weeks. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) voted against moving ahead with the package, along with all but eight of his Democratic colleagues.

Though Cortez Masto had repeatedly voted for the Republican-backed legislation that would end the shutdown, the two Nevada senators had previously split on the issue, with Rosen saying that Nevadans had not sent her to Washington to “cave” to Republicans.

But the costs of the longest shutdown in American history became too much to bear.

“Unfortunately, it’s become clear as we go deeper into the second month of this Republican government shutdown that President [Donald] Trump and Washington Republicans are weaponizing their power in alarming ways to inflict unimaginable pain and suffering on working people, like fully withholding [food] benefits and gutting our tourism industry by grinding air travel to a halt,” Rosen wrote in a statement Sunday night. “Trump and his Republican cronies on Capitol Hill do not give a damn about hurting working people, and their conduct over the last month has been nothing short of appalling.”

She promised to continue working to extend the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies that have helped make health insurance affordable for Americans who purchase coverage on the marketplace. 

In a statement of her own, Cortez Masto pointed out the political upside for Democrats. 

“We also have an opportunity now to put Republicans on the record on the ACA,” she wrote. “If Republicans want to join us in lowering costs for working families, they have the chance to do so. And if they do not come to the table, they will own the premium increases they cause.”

Many House Democrats, including Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), slammed the deal.

"Senate passage of the continuing resolution without extending Affordable Care Act premium subsidies means thousands of Nevadans will lose their health insurance because they won’t be able to afford it," Titus wrote in a statement to The Nevada Independent. "We have endured weeks of pain from a government shutdown — including cutting off SNAP benefits and not paying federal workers — for nothing. Nevadans will see their health insurance premiums double or triple, leaving many with no choice but to drop their coverage. I will oppose the continuing resolution again for the same reasons I did earlier."

The agreement also includes a reversal of the mass firings of federal workers by the Trump administration since the shutdown began Oct. 1 and would ensure that federal workers receive back pay.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) quickly endorsed the deal and called the immediate vote to begin the process of approving it as the shutdown continued to disrupt flights nationwide, threaten food assistance for millions of Americans and leave federal workers without pay.

Returning to the White House on Sunday evening after attending a football game, Trump did not say whether he endorsed the deal. But he said, “It looks like we’re getting close to the shutdown ending.”

Nearly two months after voting to pass a government funding bill and leaving Washington, the House is expected to return this week.

A bipartisan agreement

The moderates had expected a larger number of Democrats to vote with them as around 10-12 Democratic senators had been part of the negotiations. But in the end, only five Democrats switched their votes — the exact number that Republicans needed.

The agreement includes bipartisan bills worked out by the Senate Appropriations Committee to fund parts of government — food aid, veterans programs and the legislative branch, among other things. All other funding would be extended until the end of January, giving lawmakers more than two months to finish additional spending bills.

The deal would reinstate federal workers who had received reduction in force, or layoff, notices and reimburse states that spent their own funds to keep federal programs running during the shutdown. It would also protect against future reductions in force through January and guarantee federal workers would be paid once the shutdown is over.

House Democrats push back

House Democrats swiftly criticized the Senate.

Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), the chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said a deal that doesn't reduce health care costs is a “betrayal” of millions of Americans who are counting on Democrats to fight.

“Accepting nothing but a pinky promise from Republicans isn’t a compromise — it’s capitulation,” Casar said in a post on X. "Millions of families would pay the price.”

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) blamed Republicans and said Democrats will continue to fight.

“Donald Trump and the Republican Party own the toxic mess they have created in our country and the American people know it,” Jeffries said.

Spokespeople for Reps. Susie Lee (D-NV) and Steven Horsford (D-NV) did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

Health care debate ahead

It's unclear whether the two parties would be able to find any common ground on the health care subsidies before a promised December vote in the Senate. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), has said he will not commit to bring it up in his chamber.

Some Republicans have said they are open to extending the COVID-19-era tax credits as premiums could skyrocket for millions of people, but they also want new limits on who can receive the subsidies and argue that the tax dollars for the plans should be routed through individuals.

Other Republicans, including Trump, have used the debate to renew their yearslong criticism of the law and called for it to be scrapped or overhauled.

“THE WORST HEALTHCARE FOR THE HIGHEST PRICE,” Trump said of the Affordable Care Act in a post Sunday.

Shutdown effects worsen

Meanwhile, the consequences of the shutdown have been compounding. U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights on Sunday for the first time since the shutdown began, and there were more than 7,000 flight delays, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks air travel disruptions.

Treasury Secretary Sean Duffy said on CNN’s “State of the Union" that air travel ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday will be “reduced to a trickle” if the government doesn't reopen.

At the same time, food aid was delayed for tens of millions of people as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits were caught up in legal battles related to the shutdown.

And in Washington, home to millions of federal workers who have gone unpaid, the Capital Area Food Bank said it is providing 8 million more meals ahead of the holidays than it had prepared to this budget year — a nearly 20 percent increase.

This article was updated at 9:25 p.m. on 11/10/2025 with a comment from Rep. Titus.

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Associated Press writers Stephen Groves and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.