Senate Advances Proposal to End Shutdown

On Sunday night, the US Senate voted to advance a proposal to end the government shutdown.

The Details: Eight Senate Democrats broke with their party to advance a deal that would fund the government until late January in a 60-40 vote. The proposal also promises a vote the second week in December on Affordable Care Act tax credits and guarantees backpay for furloughed government workers. Sunday's vote was the first step in combining the original House-passed continuing resolution (CR) with the Senate's spending package and updated CR, so the government will likely not be reopened until Tuesday or Wednesday at the earliest.

Key Quotes: "It wasn't working," Sen. Angus King (I-ME), who caucuses with Senate Democrats, said of his effort to broker a compromise. "After 40 long days, I'm hopeful that we can finally bring the shutdown to an end," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).

For Context: The government shutdown, which has lasted over 40 days, saw 14 votes to reopen the government fail in the Senate. The shutdown has caused chaos at the nation's airports and has left tens of thousands of workers furloughed.

How The Media Covered It: The Washington Times (Lean Right bias) noted that President Trump had been urging Republicans to prevent the subsidies from Affordable Care tax credits from going to the insurance companies and that the money should go to consumers to choose their own health care plans. CNN (Lean Left) noted that the compromise is opposed by some Democrat leaders and progressives who say the "backing down" hands Trump a victory and turns their backs on Americans who can't afford the rising health care premiums. Sources across the political spectrum reported that Senate Democrats "folded" or "caved" on their demand that the shutdown continue until Affordable Care tax credits were extended for 22 million people. 

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