Senate Reaches Deal to End Shutdown, Rejects Abortion Funding Under Obamacare

On Monday night, the U.S. Senate passed a bill to reopen the federal government after a record-breaking shutdown, now stretching into its 42nd day.

The continuing resolution (CR) passed in a 60-40 vote, leaving not a single vote to spare. Eight Democrat senators joined with nearly all Republicans, minus Sen. Rand Paul, in supporting the legislation (H.R. 5371) which funds the government through January.

“This has been a very long road, quite literally the longest shutdown in history,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune. “I am very, very happy to be able to say that we are coming to the end.”

For the past 42 days, 53 Senate Republicans supported reopening the federal government, joined by Democrat Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, John Fetterman and independent Angus King from Maine, who caucuses with the Democrats.

It takes 60 votes to break the filibuster and bring legislation to the floor for a vote. On Sunday night, five additional Democrat senators – Tim Kaine, Dick Durbin, Maggie Hassan, Jacky Rosen and Jeanne Shaheen – agreed to support the CR to reopen the government.

Originally, Senate Democrats demanded the extension of enhanced Covid-era Obamacare exchange health insurance premium subsidies in return for reopening the government. That demand, however, is now on life-support.

Obamacare (i.e. the Affordable Care Act) initially established state exchanges for individuals to purchase health insurance at a subsidized rate starting in 2014. These subsidies were enhanced under the American Rescue Plan Act and Inflation Reduction Act temporarily from 2021 to 2025.

In exchange for the five new Democrats’ support of the CR, Majority Leader Thune promised to hold a vote on a separate bill extending the enhanced subsidies by the second week in December. Such a promise doesn’t guarantee the legislation will pass. And Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has not committed to holding a vote on that bill in the House.

Dozens of pro-life organizations warned extending the enhanced subsidies, without additional Hyde amendment protections, would allow taxpayer-subsidized health insurance plans to cover elective abortions.

During the shutdown, in addition to seeking the extension of enhanced subsidies, Senate Democrats also proposed their own CR, demanding monies for certain pet projects, including:

• $1.5 trillion in new spending.
• Free Medicaid for 1.2 million illegal aliens.
• $500 million to restore funding for NPR and PBS.
• Reversing President Trump’s spending cuts in order to fund programs like global LGBTQI+ awareness campaigns.

None of those demands were met.

In a statement after the deal was reached, SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser thanked Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Republicans for “firmly rejecting Democrat demands to force taxpayers to fund abortions through Obamacare as the price for their votes to reopen the government.”

“For more than a month, Democrats kept the government shut down over Obamacare – the single largest departure from the Hyde Amendment and expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade. When government subsidizes abortion, more unborn Americans lose their lives and more women suffer.”

The Senate’s CR now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives where Speaker Johnson is hoping to hold a vote on the bill as soon as Wednesday. President Trump is expected to sign the legislation into law.

Related articles and resources:

The Government Shutdown is No Laughing Matter

U.S. Government Shutdown Begins After Democrats Demand Funding for Abortion

Photo from Getty Images.