A handful of Democratic senators voted with Republican colleagues in the U.S. Senate to advance a resolution that could reopen the federal government after the longest shutdown in the nation’s history.
Michigan’s two Democratic U.S. senators, Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin, voted against the resolution, however, as it passed a key procedural hurdle late Sunday, Nov. 9, by a vote of 60-40.
The resolution — which could still take some days to finalize and would have to be adopted by the U.S. House before being sent to President Donald Trump to be signed — would fund government through Jan. 30 of next year. It would also prohibit the Trump administration from firing federal workers en masse until that time and require those fired since the shutdown began Oct. 1 to be rehired. Workers who are furloughed or have been working without pay would receive compensation.
Also, an underlying deal between Democrats and Republicans would result in appropriations bills being passed that fully fund the U.S. Department of Agriculture — which oversees food assistance programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) initiative — and veterans programs through Sept. 30, 2026. It also calls for a vote in the Senate before the end of the year on whether to extend subsidies to help people with health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, pay premiums that are set to expire on Dec. 31.
Democratic votes were needed in order for the 53 Republicans in the majority in the Senate to get the 60 votes necessary to pass a resolution to fund the government, but prior to Sunday, too few had refused to do so, insisting that Republicans negotiate on the Obamacare subsidies before premiums skyrocket next year. But over the last two weeks, pressure has been building, with the Trump administration moving to stop paying SNAP benefits and ordering airlines to cancel flights to reduce pressure on air traffic controllers working without pay.
Peters, who is not running for reelection next year, had been one of a group of Democrats working to negotiate a deal with Republicans but said the agreement wasn’t adequate.
“I’m frustrated that this deal doesn’t take action on health care,” said Peters, who had proposed a one-year extension on Obamacare subsidies, which was rejected by Republicans. “But I’m relieved that it will not only protect but increase resources for desperately needed food assistance, especially now that President Trump has shown he is comfortable both denying people affordable health care and letting children go hungry in order to get what he wants.”
“It is a positive step forward that the Senate is passing real bipartisan funding bills, including a bill the Senate previously passed with strong bipartisan support to ensure our nation’s veterans receive the support they earned through their service,” Peters added. “But right now millions of Americans are getting the rug pulled out from under them as they see their health care costs are going through the roof. Many will lose their health insurance altogether.”
Slotkin, who joined the Senate in January, announced her vote against the resolution in advance, saying, “Since July, I have been clear: to earn my vote, Republicans would have to do something to bring down the cost of health care for working and middle-class Michiganders. The promise of a vote in over a month does not meet that threshold.”
“For me, this was never about politics or Beltway gamesmanship. President Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ has plunged America into a health care crisis. This emergency has real life victims, and in Michigan, the average price of health care is increasing across the board with some expected to see their premiums more than double,” she added.
One Republican member of the Senate, Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted against the resolution, bringing to eight the number of votes Republican leaders needed to pass it. Democratic senators voting for it were Catherine Cortez Masto and Jackie Rosen of Nevada, Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Dick Durbin of Illinois, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Tim Kaine of Virginia. Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine who caucuses with the Democrats, voted for it as well.
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@tsspangler.
This story has been updated
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan’s U.S. senators reject deal to end shutdown
Reporting by Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
