JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history may be coming to an end.
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BARRY BLACK: Eternal God, we thank you for the progress we have made on this journey to reopen the government.
SUMMERS: That is Barry Black, chaplain of the U.S. Senate, where lawmakers are soon expected to vote to do just that. But that does not mean that the government will reopen immediately. NPR congressional reporter Sam Gringlas is tracking the latest from Capitol Hill. Hi.
SAM GRINGLAS, BYLINE: Hey, Juana.
SUMMERS: So Sam, just start by unpacking the substance of the deal for us. What did the Senate actually agree to?
GRINGLAS: At the core is a resolution funding parts of the government through the end of January. The Senate has been voting on a version of that for weeks now. What's new is this stopgap is now paired with three full-year appropriations bills that would fund some agencies, including ones providing food assistance and services for veterans. The package also has a provision to reverse the firings of federal employees during the shutdown. That same section would prevent more layoffs through January 30. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has also promised a vote on expiring health insurance subsidies.
SUMMERS: Well, Sam, Congress has been sort of stuck and at this impasse for 41 days now. How did we get to this breakthrough?
GRINGLAS: So for weeks, Democrats held out on supporting a Republican-backed funding bill, hoping they could win an extension of those expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies. Democrats won big in the elections last Tuesday. Trump partially blamed the shutdown, and Democrats thought the president, you know, would feel compelled to bring Republicans to the table, but that did not happen. And meanwhile, food assistance benefits were still not flowing, and thousands of flights were being canceled or delayed because of staffing shortages. Talks picked up again among a small bipartisan group of senators, and they emerged Sunday with a deal backed by seven Democrats and one independent who caucuses with them, just enough to let this package advance, meaning each of those votes was crucial.
SUMMERS: Not a vote to spare there. I mean, this is far from overwhelming support from Democrats. What have they got to say?
GRINGLAS: Well, there's a real conflict here over whether those eight did the right thing. Independent Angus King explained his thinking this way.
ANGUS KING: There was zero chance of dealing with the ACA issue as long as the shutdown continued. Now - I don't know - 50/50?
GRINGLAS: King said he would take some chance over no chance any day and said the pain of the shutdown was just becoming untenable. But many Democrats are angry that their colleagues relented. This is House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
HAKEEM JEFFRIES: Well, I don't have much to say about those individuals, and they're going to have to explain themselves to their constituents and to the American people.
GRINGLAS: Three of those eight senators voting yes are retiring after next year. Meanwhile, the most vulnerable Senate Democrat up for reelection, Jon Ossoff of Georgia, he voted no.
SUMMERS: And then, Sam, what happens if this bill gets through the Senate?
GRINGLAS: The package now has to pass the House before President Trump can sign it into law. The House, though, has not been in for weeks. But today, Speaker Mike Johnson told members to start making plans to come back.
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MIKE JOHNSON: To all my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats in the House, you need to begin right now returning to the Hill. We have to do this as quickly as possible.
GRINGLAS: House passage, though, is not a sure thing. It might require some arm-twisting, though Johnson, he projected confidence it will get done.
SUMMERS: Sam, last thing, if President Trump ultimately signs this into law, is it finished? Is this the end of the saga?
GRINGLAS: No. There are still a lot of questions about that promised health care vote next month, like exactly what will be voted on and will enough Senate Republicans support it? And if they do, will Johnson even bring it up for a vote in the House? And remember, with some of the government is now funded for the next year, much of it is still only funded through the end of January, so Congress could be back at another impasse in just a few weeks.
SUMMERS: NPR congressional reporter Sam Gringlas, thank you.
GRINGLAS: Thanks, Juana. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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