Lawmakers Move To End Shutdown: How RI Senators Voted

Rhode Island 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.

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Rhode Island Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse voted against the deal.

"I am a no on the CR agreement," Reed said in X, the social media platform formally known as Twitter.

"I respect my colleagues on both sides, but the American people don’t deserve a preventable increase in health care costs," Reed said.

"I voted no tonight," Whitehouse posted to X.

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"But the next phase of Democrats’ health care affordability fight is starting," Whitehouse said.

"While I personally don’t believe Republicans will keep their promise to work with us on lowering health care costs, I would be thrilled to be wrong," he said.

The agreement does not guarantee the health care subsidies will be extended, as Democrats have demanded for almost six weeks. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York voted against moving ahead with the package, along with all but eight of his Democratic colleagues.

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.

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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.

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

Schumer, who said he could not “in good faith” support the deal because it doesn’t restore health care subsidies, vowed Democrats “will not give up the fight.”

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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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