Bipartisan Senate Efforts Amid Prolonged Government Shutdown

By Eric Mack | Wednesday, 05 November 2025 09:15 AM EST

A bipartisan group of senators is working to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, proposing a plan that would temporarily reopen parts of the federal government in exchange for guarantees on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, according to reports. The proposal under discussion involves passing three appropriations bills to fund several agencies for a full year and briefly reopening the remainder of the government.

In return, Senate Republicans would agree to a future vote on extending subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, a priority for Democrats. Around 12 moderate Democrats are considering breaking ranks to support the deal, with Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., expressing optimism about the negotiations. “Everything’s on the table,” Peters said, noting an increased pace of talks.

Senate Democrats held a nearly three-hour lunch meeting Tuesday, described as “one of the better caucus meetings I’ve been in in a while.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., requires approximately eight Democratic votes to pass the House continuing resolution and three appropriations bills, as Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate.

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., acknowledged the frustration among senators, stating that a path forward beyond a simple vote could encourage support. However, Thune has only secured three Democrats to join the GOP, while Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., remains the sole Republican voting with Democrats to maintain the shutdown. Only three Democrats—Angus King, I-Maine, Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and John Fetterman, D-Pa.—have voted to reopen the government.

The shutdown, now in its fifth week since funding expired on Oct. 1, has left over a million federal workers furloughed or unpaid. Despite this, progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., warned against compromising on healthcare protections, stating that “caving” without guarantees would betray working families reliant on the Affordable Care Act.

Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.