US Senate votes 60 to 40 to reopen government, resolve leadership stalemate

*The United States Senate approves a bipartisan funding bill to end the longest government shutdown, aiding Federal employees and stabilising travel, as the House of Representatives may vote on the measure Wednesday, November 12, says report

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

After 41 days of lull in official engagements, the United States (US) Senate voted 60–40 late night Monday, November 10, 2025, to approve a short-term funding bill, aimed at ending the longest Federal Government shutdown in the American country’s history.

ConsumerConnect gathered the new legislation, though a bipartisan compromise, would fund most Federal agencies through January 30, 2026, and combine three full-year spending bills with a stopgap extension.

The Senate’s deal basically does not include an extension of the enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health-insurance credits — a major sticking point for many Democrats — setting up further acrimony within the party, agency report said.

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A Federal Government shutdown, after 41 days, that furloughed workers and snarled air travel, the Senate Monday sent to the House of Representatives a funding package that, if approved by House, and subsequently, signed by President Donald Trump, would reopen large swaths of the Federal Government.

In arriving at the bipartisan decision, the legislative deal cleared the chamber with the minimum 60 votes required to overcome a filibuster, thanks to eight Democrats joining virtually all Republicans, report stated.

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) underscored the urgency of restoring operations, paying Federal workers, and halting further disruptions.

Thune stated: “The time to act is now.”

What the bill does

The American lawmakers noted that the bill would fund most Federal agencies and programmes until January 30, 2026, providing much-needed relief to furloughed or unpaid Federal employees.

This includes full-year appropriations for certain key programmes, including the Military construction and veterans’ healthcare.

The funding bill equally reverses mass firings of Federal workers initiated during the shutdown and provides for back-pay.

The bill now awaits a vote in the US House of Representatives, where Speaker Mike Johnson disclosed that a vote could come as soon as this Wednesday.

The measure must pass the House before it is sent   to the President’s desk.

Transportation Secretary speaks on post-government shutdown

In returning governance to normalcy, administration officials as well said even after funding is restored and Federal employees – especially air traffic controllers – receive back-pay, the system wouldn’t snap immediately back to full capacity.

Speaking on the development, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy specifically said it could take “days, if not a week” for travel operations to stabilise after the shutdown ends.

Meanwhile, some commercial aviation experts have cautioned that as major delays and cancellations may diminish within days, cancelled “normal” flight schedules, full staffing, and smooth airport operations might take longer, particularly in view of the backlog of recent adjustments.