SAT . A group of Democrats and one Democratic-aligned independent have helped clinch an agreement to end the government shutdown, saying they had secured a vote on the Affordable Care Act subsidies at the center of the standoff.
A group of Democrats and one Democratic-aligned independent have helped clinch an agreement to end the government shutdown, saying they had secured a vote on the Affordable Care Act subsidies at the center of the standoff.
The negotiators argued that Republicans’ “flat refusal” to move on Democrats’ earlier proposals made clear that “this is the best possible offer we could secure.”
Here’s a look at some of those members, and their rationale for ending the shutdown.
Four of them are former governors of their home states and none are up for reelection in next year’s midterms.
Durbin, a veteran member of Democratic leadership retiring at the end of his term, broke with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who opposes the deal.
In a statement, Durbin said that “this bill is not perfect, but it takes important steps to reduce their shutdown’s hurt.”
He underscored the cost of the disruptions caused by the shutdown.
“For 40 days—the longest shutdown in U.S. history—federal workers went without paychecks. This includes our air traffic controllers, whose towers were already understaffed. They continued to work 10 hours days, six days per week to keep our airspace safe, with this additional stress at a life-saving job,” he said.
Sen. Angus King of Maine
King, an independent, was just elected to a third term in 2024. While he caucuses with the Democrats, King has a penchant for bipartisan dealmaking and was also among the key negotiators expressing alarm about the consequences of the ongoing shutdown.
“The question was, is, as the shutdown progresses, is a solution on the ACA becoming any more likely? It appears not,” King said Sunday. “I think people are saying we’re not going to get what we want, although we still have a chance – because part of the deal is a vote on the ACA subsidies – but in the meantime, a lot of people are being hurt.”
Kaine was also elected to a third term in 2024. The former governor pointed to both ACA subsidies and efforts to defend the federal workforce, a key pressure point in his state, home to roughly 300,000 employees.
“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 in a statement about the vote.
Kaine said the deal “guarantees a vote to extend Affordable Care Act premium tax credits,” and also that it “will protect federal workers from baseless firings, reinstate those who have been wrongfully terminated during the shutdown, and ensure federal workers receive back pay.”
Fetterman, elected to the Senate in 2022, has been breaking with Democrats and voting for the House-passed short-term funding resolution. He said that the shutdown “has more than run its course.”
“If we have the votes, it’s probably going to be the minimum if it does,” he warned.
“Our party could be overplaying its hand,” he added. “I don’t think much anything has been accomplished for the last 40 days except a lot of chaos and a lot of upheaval.”
Shaheen has announced she would not seek reelection in 2026.
In a statement Sunday, Shaheen said that “waiting longer will only prolong the pain Americans are feeling because of the shutdown.”
“Let’s be clear: This is a major step that was not predetermined. I have spent years as the lead sponsor of this legislation. There is no one in the Senate who wants to see these tax credits extended more than me. But weeks of negotiations with Republicans have made clear that they will not address health care as part of shutdown talks,” Shaheen said.
Hassan, another former governor, won reelection in 2022 to her swing-state seat. She told reporters that she had been hearing from residents both affected by looming spikes in health care costs and by people affected by the government shutdown.
“Our work to deliver relief for families now enters an important phase,” she said. “Congress has one month to engage in serious bipartisan negotiations to extend the Affordable Care Act’s expiring tax cuts that help people afford their health insurance.”
Cortez Masto also voted to end the shutdown. Her term expires in 2028.
“Too many Americans, hardworking individuals, seniors, children were suffering,” she said at a press conference, adding that she was seeing lines at food banks that rivaled the need during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We can open the government and we can still fight to address this looming health care crisis,” she added.
Rosen, the other Democrat from Nevada, joined her colleague in voting to end the shutdown. She was reelected last year.
“Unfortunately, it’s become clear as we go deeper into the second month of this Republican government shutdown that President Trump and Washington Republicans are weaponizing their power in alarming ways to inflict unimaginable pain and suffering on working people, like fully withholding SNAP benefits and gutting our tourism industry by grinding air travel to a halt,” Rosen said in a statement.
Many prominent members of the Democratic caucus opposed the deal and voiced ongoing concerns.
“I’m voting no on the continuing resolution that would double healthcare premiums for 20 million Americans, kick 15 million people off Medicaid & allow 50,000 Americans to die unnecessarily every year. All to give $1 trillion in tax breaks for billionaires,” Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders wrote on social media, live-streaming a speech opposing the deal.
Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, who is eying a 2028 presidential bid, also said he was a firm “no.”
“There’s a phrase in Spanish, ‘Con salud, lo hay todo; sin salud, no hay nada.’ It means ‘With good health you have it all; without your health, you have nothing.’ It’s with that phrase in mind that I stand firm in my decision to vote no so that families across the country can get the health care they need,” Gallego said in a statement.
