The House has returned to Capitol Hill after nearly two months (54 days) out of session for a vote that could reopen the federal government and end the record-long shutdown. The Senate passed legislation on Monday night to end the nation’s longest government shutdown, after a critical splinter group of eight Democrats joined with Republicans and backed a spending package that omitted the chief concession their party had spent weeks demanding, progress on health care subsidies. The 60-to-40 vote, on Day 41 of the shutdown, signaled a break in the gridlock that has shuttered the government for weeks, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed, millions of Americans at risk of losing food assistance and millions more facing air-travel disruptions.
Most Democrats are firmly against the funding package, while Republicans are largely supportive and the bill appears poised to cross the finish line. The Senate agreement created a hybrid package, combining the Republicans’ initial continuing resolution (CR), which provides short-term funding to much of the government, with three longer-term appropriations bills funding a handful of agencies until next October. The package funds military construction and veterans’ affairs, the Department of Agriculture and the legislative branch through the remainder of fiscal 2026, which ends September 30th, and the rest of the government through January 30th.
The House Rules Committee early Wednesday morning advanced the measure, clearing a key procedural hurdle and sending the bill to the floor for consideration, voting 8-4. Democrats and Republicans also raised concerns about a provision in the funding measure that would allow members of the Senate to sue for $500,000 per instance if their data was sought or obtained as part of an investigation into President Donald J. Trump without them being notified.
For today, the House is slated to begin votes at 5:10 P.M. EST on Wednesday evening. However, the actual vote on the funding package to reopen the federal government will likely begin after 7:00 P.M., when the final vote of the evening is expected, sending the package to President Trump’s desk. Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Arizona) is expected to be sworn in by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) around 4:00 P.M.
After the votes, members will leave town and return to the Capitol on Monday. The Senate will reconvene at 3:00pm on Tuesday, November 18th and take up a Motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #515 Ho Nieh, to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
