Senate votes to end government shutdown with help from caving Democrats

The Senate voted 60-40 late Monday to adopt a spending bill that would officially end the government shutdown, with the help of eight moderate Senate Democrats who’ve sparked outrage for having caved to Republicans’ demands.

The spending bill still required approval in the House, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) telling House members to return to Washington “as quickly as possible” so that the chamber can cast the final vote on the bill to send it to President Donald Trump’s desk for final approval.

“We'll give a 36 hour formal and official notice so that we can vote as soon as possible to pass the amended bill and get it to the president's desk," Johnson said, ABC News reported Monday.

The passage of the spending bill in the Senate was seen by many Democratic voters – including many Democratic lawmakers – as a betrayal, with Democrats having held firm for 41 days in refusing to support any spending bills that didn’t include an extension to Obamacare subsidies.

Those subsidies, set to expire at the end of this year, supplement the government health care program and reduce costs for enrollees, who are typically those who fall into what’s known as the “health care gap:” those without employer-sponsored health insurance whose incomes are too high to be eligible for low-income health care programs like Medicaid, but too low to afford health insurance on the private market.

If allowed to expire, an estimated 4 million Americans would lose health insurance, and premiums for around 22 million Americans enrolled in Obamacare would more than double.

The House is expected to vote on the spending bill sometime this week, though many Democrats – including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries – have vowed to oppose the bill. However, unconstrained by the Senate filibuster, and with Republicans holding a majority in the House, the bill is expected to pass regardless of Democrats’ objections.