The amended package will still have to be passed by the House and sent to Trump for his signature, a process that could take days
The compromise legislation authorizes government funding through 30 January 2026 and undoes the firings of federal workers that the White House carried out after the shutdown began. It also guarantees retroactive pay for furloughed federal workers and those who stayed on the job during the shutdown, and prevents further layoffs through January. Included in the compromise are three appropriations bill that will authorize spending through the 2026 fiscal year for the departments of agriculture and veterans affairs, among others.
The compromise does not resolved the issue of the Affordable Care Act premiums, which one study forecast would jump by an average of 26% if the tax credits were allowed to expire.
As part of the deal, Thune said he would allow a vote on a bill to deal with the credits by the second week of December. But even if it succeeds, Republican House speaker Mike Johnson has said he will not put such a measure on the floor.
This is relief-lite, not a solution. Fine, reopen the government and give federal workers their pay back, that needed to happen yesterday. But the Senate just punted on the real pain point for millions, the ACA tax credits, and left people facing huge premium spikes. Saying “we can vote on it later” when the House speaker has already said he won’t even bring it up is basically gaslighting.
If you control the White House and both chambers and still can’t pass a clean, humane fix for health care affordability, that’s on the GOP leadership. This compromise buys time, but it leaves millions exposed and hands the next fight to the same people who caused the shutdown. Pressure needs to go to the House, not just sighing relief in the Senate.
“But people need to fly for the holidays! Don’t you understand?! There’s billions of dolla-I mean, family gatherings to think of. Think of the gatherings!”