Nanny State Faces A Defeat In Its War On Food Freedom As PRIME Act Advances
'You would have local accountability, back to the farmer,' Massie told The Federalist.'You would have local accountability, back to the farmer,' Massie told The Federalist.House Democrats cave, vote for GOP bill to end record-breaking shutdown
House Republicans passed a government funding bill late Wednesday night, bringing Democrats' record-breaking shutdown closer to a welcome end.
The continuing resolution passed in a 222-209 vote, with 216 Republicans voting in favor and 209 Democrats voting against the funding bill. Two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Greg Steube of Florida, voted against the bill.
'Democrats gained nothing from their shutdown while hardworking families paid the price.'
Several Democrats also crossed the aisle, with a handful voting in favor of reopening the government. Democrat Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, who is retiring at the end of this term, bucked his party, alongside Reps. Adam Gray of California, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Don Davis of North Carolina, Henry Cuellar of Texas, and Tom Suozzi of New York.
The resolution is now headed to President Donald Trump's desk, where he is expected to sign the bill into law Wednesday night and reopen the government.
The House vote took place just days after eight Democrat senators caved over the weekend and voted alongside Republicans to pass the funding bill in the Senate Monday night. These Democrats include Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Angus King (I) of Maine, and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada.
Although some lawmakers crossed the aisle to reopen the government, Democrats ultimately failed to secure commitments from Republicans to negotiate health care policy.
"For over six weeks, Democrats held our country hostage over demands for health care for illegal aliens and to prove to their base they could 'stand up' to President Trump," Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger (Texas) told Blaze News.
"Let me be clear: Democrats gained nothing from their shutdown while hardworking families paid the price," Pfluger added. "Now, it is time to get back to governing and delivering on the mandate we were given by the American people last November."
RELATED: Senate Republicans pass key deal with Democrat defectors as end to record-long shutdown draws near
The reason Democrats shut down the government in the first place was to force the GOP to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year.
Democrats fell short, securing only a commitment from Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to hold a vote on extending the subsidies. Notably, this offer was available to Democrats on day one of the government shutdown.
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Senate Republicans pass key deal with Democrat defectors as end to record-long shutdown draws near
The Senate Republicans officially passed their funding bill to reopen the government Monday night, with the help of Democrat defectors. The legislation is now in the House, where members are expected to vote to finally reopen the government sometime Wednesday.
Over 40 days into the record-long government shutdown, eight Senate Democrats voted to pass the same clean continuing resolution that has been on the table since day one. The funding bill was passed in a 60-40 vote, with Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Angus King (I) of Maine, and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada voting with 52 Republicans to reopen the government.
House Democrats are already whipping members to vote against reopening the government.
With just enough Democrats defecting to pass the GOP resolution, many of their fellow Democrats expressed disapproval for the "pathetic" deal they negotiated.
The main reason Democrats shut down the government in the first place was to force Republicans' hand on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies that are expiring at the end of the year. One record-breaking shutdown later, all Democrats have to show for it is a pinky promise from Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) that there will be a floor vote on the subsidies, which was offered to Democrats on day one of the shutdown.
RELATED: 'Pathetic' Senate Democrats cave, advancing key shutdown vote and prompting intraparty uproar: 'It’s a surrender'
Republicans offered Democrats one minor concession Sunday night ahead of the filibuster vote: to reverse some firings made via reduction-in-force notices. Republicans agreed to reverse all RIFs issued during the shutdown and to refrain from issuing any more until the continuing resolution expires on January 30.
In total, this deal affects only about 4,200 employees of the roughly 150,000 federal workers who have been laid off since President Donald Trump began his second term in January.
RELATED: Democrat senator makes stunning admission about Obamacare failures
The bill is now headed over to the House, where votes are expected to resume Wednesday afternoon after the House has been out of session for over 50 days. During a Monday press conference, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) publicly urged all members to return to Washington, D.C., as soon as possible to begin voting.
House Democrats are already whipping members to vote against reopening the government, arguing that the continuing resolution "fails to address" their health care concerns. Despite their ongoing opposition, the funding bill needs only a simple majority and is expected to pass the House.
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The Shutdown Was Always Going To End With Democrats Caving And Looking Ridiculous
Barring some unnecessary Republican crash-out — always a high possibility! — this partial federal government “shutdown” was destined to end with Democrat leaders finally leveling with their own angry voters to say, Yeah, we got nothing, and I don’t have any good answers for you right now. And that’s more or less what’s happening now […]'Pathetic' Senate Democrats cave, advancing key shutdown vote and prompting intraparty uproar: 'It’s a surrender'
Over a month into the record-breaking shutdown, enough Senate Democrats finally caved to advance a key vote, sparking outrage within the party.
Eight Senate Democrats broke from their party late Sunday night to break the filibuster in a 60-40 vote, advancing key legislation and putting the government back on track to reopen after a record 41-day stalemate. The Senate is expected to formally pass the legislation Monday, when the continuing resolution will be punted back to the House.
'America deserves better.'
Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire joined Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Angus King (I) of Maine, and Catherine Cortez Masto, who have consistently voted to reopen the government for the last six weeks. Notably, only Shaheen and Durbin are up for re-election in 2026, and both are retiring.
Although these other rogue Democrats are electorally safe for the next several years, many of their colleagues have ridiculed them for bucking the party and cutting a deal with Republicans.
RELATED: Democrat senator makes stunning admission about Obamacare failures
After 15 failed votes to reopen the government, Democrats folded and finally came to the negotiating table. Party negotiators walked away with a continuing resolution to fund the government through January 30 featuring a reversal on reduction-in-force notices issued after October 1 and also barring future RIFs from being issued through the duration of the CR.
While Republicans made concessions on RIFs, Democrats ultimately were unable to push through any meaningful policy goals and fell short on their call to extend Obamacare subsidies. In response, high-profile Democrats tore into their Senate colleagues for caving, calling it a "surrender."
"Pathetic," California Gov. Gavin Newsom's press office said in a post on X. "This isn’t a deal. It’s a surrender. Don’t bend the knee!"
"America deserves better," Newsom added in another post on X.
RELATED: Senate Republicans betray Trump, help Democrats try to block tariffs
It's not just rumored presidential hopefuls who took a stand against their Democrat Senate allies. Many of the eight defectors' colleagues came out against their vote, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
"There's no way to sugarcoat what happened tonight," Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said in a post on X. "And my fear is that Trump gets stronger, not weaker, because of this acquiescence. I'm angry — like you. But I choose to keep fighting."
"To my mind, this was a very, very bad vote," independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said in a post on X.
"Just on Tuesday, we had an election, all over this country. And what the election showed is that the American people want us to stand up to Trumpism. ... That is what the American people wanted. But tonight, that is not what happened."
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Here's every time Senate Democrats voted to keep the government shut down
Nearly a month into the shutdown, Senate Democrats have refused to reopen the government over a dozen times. Even still, Democrats are pointing the finger at Republicans.
Although Republicans hold a majority in both chambers of Congress, there's been a hang-up in the Senate. Instead of a simple majority, the Senate actually needs 60 votes in order to pass the continuing resolution. Republicans do hold a 53-seat majority in the Senate, but they need the help of at least seven Democrats to reopen the government.
Senate Democrats have effectively voted to continue withholding paychecks from federal workers and critical benefits from the American people over a dozen times.
This is easier said than done. When the Senate voted on the GOP's clean continuing resolution on September 30, only three Democrats crossed the aisle in an attempt to keep the government open: Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, and Angus King of Maine.
Both Cortez Masto and King origianally voted against the bill on September 19 but flipped their votes ahead of the funding deadline. Notably, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has consistently voted with Democrats.
As a result, the government shut down and has remained closed ever since midnight of October 1.
RELATED: Democrat senator blocks vote to end shutdown to protest Trump's 'authoritarianism' in drawn-out rant
The Republicans' funding bill is clean and entirely non-ideological, while the Democrats' hyper-partisan alternative boasts a hefty $1.5 trillion price tag. Democrats have also insisted on renegotiating the Obamacare subsidies despite the fact that they won't expire until the end of the year.
Now 28 days into the shutdown, Senate Democrats have effectively voted to continue withholding paychecks from federal workers and critical benefits from the American people over a dozen times. Here is a breakdown of every time Democrats voted to keep the government shut down.
RELATED: 'These people are sick': Trump admin slams top Dem for justifying shutdown suffering
- Friday, September 19, 2025, Roll Call No. 528 (44-48)
- Tuesday, September 30, 2025, Roll Call No. 535 (55-45)
- Wednesday, October 1, 2025, Roll Call No. 537 (55-45)
- Friday, October 3, 2025, Roll Call No. 543 (54-44)
- Monday, October 6, 2025, Roll Call No. 545 (52-42)
- Wednesday, October 8, 2025, Roll Call No. 551 (54-45)
- Thursday, October 9, 2025, Roll Call No. 558 (54-45)
- Tuesday, October 14, 2025, Roll Call No. 571 (49-45)
- Wednesday, October 15, 2025, Roll Call No. 572 (51-44)
- Thursday, October 16, 2025, Roll Call No. 573 (51-45)
- Monday, October 20, 2025, Roll Call No. 576 (50-43)
- Wednesday, October 22, 2025, Roll Call No. 581 (54-46)
- Tuesday, October 28, 2025, Roll Call No. 590 (54-45)
Since the shutdown began, no Democrat votes have changed. The slight changes in vote tallies can be attributed to attendance.
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Government grinds to a halt after Democrats force first shutdown in 6 years
While congressional Democrats continue to dig their heels in, the federal government has officially shut down for the first time in over half a decade.
The government shut down at midnight on October 1 after Democrats continuously blocked the Republican-led funding bill in the Senate. The GOP's funding bill is a clean, 91-page continuing resolution with no partisan anomalies. The only new provision in the Republican bill is a bipartisan provision that boosts security funding for politicians in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's horrific assassination.
'The ball is in the Democrats’ court.'
Rather than passing the clean bipartisan resolution, Democrats have insisted on ramming through their $1.5 trillion funding bill that reverses every meaningful legislative accomplishment Congress passed earlier in the year with President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Some of these Democratic priorities include continuing $350 billion worth of Biden-era subsidies, reviving federal funds for PBS and NPR, and reinstating public health care benefits for illegal aliens.
"House Republicans passed the SAME clean, nonpartisan CR that Chuck Schumer himself voted for back in March — and called 'the right thing to do,'" Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wrote in a post on X. "The ONLY thing that’s changed since then is pressure from his base to close down the government. That’s not leadership, it’s cowardice."
RELATED: White House dares Democrats with nuclear response to looming shutdown
"The ball is in the Democrats’ court," Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said in a post on X. "But Chuck Schumer wants a Schumer shutdown."
The House previously passed the GOP's continuing resolution in a 217-212 vote, with just one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, joining Republicans to keep the government open. Republican Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Victoria Spartz of Indiana voted against the bill.
The Senate eventually took up both the Republicans' clean CR and the Democrats' hyper-partisan funding bill on Tuesday, both of which failed. Although Republicans enjoy a supermajority in Congress, the CR needs 60 votes to pass the Senate. Assuming all 53 Republicans vote for the bill, at least seven Democrats will have to cave to reopen the government.
Notably, Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania as well as independent Sen. Angus King of Maine voted in favor of the Republican funding bill. One GOP senator, Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted against it. Both bills will be up for a vote again in the Senate on Wednesday.
Although shutdowns have historically proven to be unpopular, Republicans are seizing the opportunity to continue implementing the MAGA mandate.
Ahead of the shutdown, Russell Vought's Office of Management and Budget began circulating a memo directing different agencies to identify programs whose funding would lapse following the shutdown and to begin drafting reduction in force notices for employees who would be affected.
As of this writing, Vought announced that roughly $18 billion in New York City infrastructure projects have been halted to "ensure funding is not flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles."
"It is unclear how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict," Vought wrote in a memo released Tuesday. "Regardless, employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities. We will issue another memorandum indicating that government functions should resume once the president has signed a bill providing for appropriations."
To Vought's point, it remains unclear how long Democrats will allow the government to stay closed. The last shutdown began on December 22, 2018, during Trump's first term, after Congress failed to approve a spending package that included funding for Trump's border wall. The shutdown lasted 35 days, the longest in history.
The government eventually reopened on January 25, 2019, after Congress reached a deal to pass a temporary spending bill without border funding, and Trump signed it.
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