Lawmakers Move To End Shutdown: How MA Senators Voted

MASSACHUSETTS — Both Massachusetts senators voted against a deal reached Sunday to reopen the federal government, the first procedural step to end the longest shutdown in U.S. history.

A group of moderate Democrats agreed to proceed without a guaranteed extension of health care subsidies, angering many in their caucus who say Americans want them to continue the fight.

In the first in a series of required procedural maneuvers, the Senate voted 60-40 to move toward passing compromise legislation to fund the government and hold a later vote on extending Affordable Care Act tax credits that expire Jan. 1.

If the deal is to be approved, it must pass the House, and President Donald Trump then must sign it. Final passage could be several days away, NBC News reported.

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey said he voted against the legislation because it does not include provisions to reduce health care costs and extend Affordable Care Act-enhanced premium tax credits that expire at the end of the year.

"Our dedicated federal government workforce deserves to get paid, and I am glad this deal means the government will reopen, that employees will be returning to work, and that they will receive their paychecks, including back pay," Markey said on Sunday night. "I am also glad that this deal will prevent Donald Trump from further delaying SNAP benefits for hungry children, senior citizens, and families.

"But this legislation does nothing concrete to lower costs or protect health care for millions of Americans from MAGA Republican attacks, and I cannot support it. Families in Massachusetts and across the country cannot afford to have their health care coverage double or triple in cost."

Markey added: "This health insurance time bomb, coupled with deep cuts to Medicaid, will also be a brutal one-two punch that devastates community hospitals throughout the United States, leaving millions of Americans with reduced care or no care at all."

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren called the funding deal "a mistake."

"I will not support a deal that does nothing to make health care more affordable," she said in a Sunday night statement. "The fight to lower costs is a righteous fight, and we must not give it up.

"Republicans in Congress extended tax breaks for billionaires and billionaire corporations, but they refused to extend tax credits to lower health insurance premiums for millions of working people. A simple one-year extension of these tax credits would cost less than Donald Trump’s $40 billion bailout for Argentina. ... We will keep fighting to fix our broken health care system and lower costs for working people, but a vote for this legislation is a mistake.”

A group of three former governors — New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan and Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine — broke the six-week stalemate on Sunday when they agreed to vote to advance three bipartisan annual spending bills and extend the rest of government funding until late January in exchange for a mid-December vote on extending the health care tax credits.

Five other Democrats also voted in favor of the measure. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, home to tens of thousands of federal workers, also voted in favor of moving forward on the agreement. Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and Nevada Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen also voted yes.

The agreement includes a reversal of the mass firings of federal workers since the shutdown began on Oct. 1 and would ensure that federal workers receive back pay.

The pact also agreed to fund parts of government — food aid, veterans programs and the legislative branch, among other things. All other funding would be extended until the end of January, giving lawmakers more than two months to finish additional spending bills.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune quickly endorsed the deal and called an immediate vote to begin the process of approving it as the shutdown continued to disrupt flights nationwide, threaten food assistance for millions of Americans and leave federal workers without pay.

"The time to act is now," Thune said.

Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said capitulating on health care would be a "horrific mistake," and Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said in last week’s elections, people voted overwhelmingly Democratic "to urge Democrats to hold firm."

Democrats had voted 14 times not to reopen the government as they demanded the extension of tax credits that make coverage more affordable under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans said they would not negotiate on health care, but GOP leaders have been quietly working with the group of moderates as the contours of an agreement began to emerge.

House Democrats swiftly criticized the Senate.

Texas Rep. Greg Casar, the chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said a deal that doesn't reduce health care costs is a “betrayal” of millions of Americans who are counting on Democrats to fight.

"Accepting nothing but a pinky promise from Republicans isn't a compromise — it's capitulation," Casar said in a post on X. “"Millions of families would pay the price."

Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota posted that "if people believe this is a 'deal,' I have a bridge to sell you."

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries blamed Republicans and said Democrats will continue to fight.

"Donald Trump and the Republican Party own the toxic mess they have created in our country and the American people know it," Jeffries said.

It's unclear whether the two parties would be able to find any common ground on the health care subsidies before a promised December vote in the Senate. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana has said he will not commit to bringing it up in his chamber.

Some Republicans have said they are open to extending the COVID-19-era tax credits as premiums could skyrocket for millions of people, but they also want new limits on who can receive the subsidies and argue that the tax dollars for the plans should be routed through individuals.

Other Republicans, including Trump, have used the debate to renew their years-long criticism of the law and called for it to be scrapped or overhauled.

Meanwhile, the consequences of the shutdown have been compounding. U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights on Sunday for the first time since the shutdown began, and there were more than 7,000 flight delays, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks air travel disruptions.

Treasury Secretary Sean Duffy said on CNN's "State of the Union" that air travel ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday will be "reduced to a trickle" if the government doesn't reopen.

At the same time, food aid was delayed for tens of millions of people as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits were caught up in legal battles related to the shutdown.

And in Washington, home to tens of thousands of federal workers who have gone unpaid, the Capital Area Food Bank said it is providing 8 million more meals ahead of the holidays than it had prepared for this budget year — a nearly 20 percent increase.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.