A secret meeting that occurred after the Senate and reporters cleared out of Capitol Hill for the day reportedly became the "turning point" in the government shutdown.
The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1, lasting a record 43 days. The Senate voted Monday on a temporary funding package to reopen the government, and the House voted Wednesday night to do the same. The package was expected to receive President Donald Trump's signature late Wednesday.
But the Wall Street Journal shed light on what exactly led lawmakers to put aside their differences and reach a deal, noting, "The turning point in the government’s longest shutdown didn’t involve President Trump or Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer."
"Instead, after the Senate adjourned for the day and most reporters had emptied out of the halls, a small group of breakaway Democrats and an independent slipped unnoticed into the office of Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.)," the report said.
The meeting occurred two nights before Halloween, where moderate Democrats joined Sen. Angus King (I-ME), who caucuses with Democrats, in filing into Thune's office to hash out a solution. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined the talks, along with Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND).
Schumer, who wanted to keep the shutdown going, was "read in" to the talks, but didn't directly participate, the senators insisted.
Shaheen told the Journal that after looking Thune in the eye, she was convinced he'd make good on his offer to hold a vote on expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies by mid-December, despite his refusal to promise to do so.
“We sat across from him, we looked him eye to eye,” Shaheen said, warning that Democrats can trigger another shutdown in January if Thune reneges. “That’s certainly an option that I think everybody will consider."