Government Shutdown Hits 40th Day as Senators Hope for Breakthrough

AP, WASHINGTON, NOV 9, 2025 : The government shutdown stretched into its 40th day on Sunday, even as senators held a weekend session in hopes of finding an end to the impasse that has disrupted flights nationwide, threatened food assistance for millions of Americans, and left federal workers without pay.

The Senate has shown few signs of progress over a weekend that could be crucial for the shutdown fight. Republican leaders are hoping to hold votes on bills that would reopen the government into January while also approving full-year funding for several parts of government. However, the necessary Democratic support for that effort remains far from guaranteed.

“We're only a handful of votes away” from passing legislation to reopen the government, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Saturday.

Democratic leaders are pushing hard for an extension of subsidies for health plans offered under the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Republicans have rejected that offer but signaled openness to an emerging proposal from a small group of moderate Democrats to end the shutdown in exchange for a later vote on the “Obamacare” subsidies that make coverage more affordable.

For those enrolled in health exchanges under that law, premiums on average are expected to more than double next year if Congress allows the enhanced subsidies to lapse. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said the pledge to hold a vote on extending the subsidies would be a “wasteful gesture” unless “you have the commitment of the speaker of the House that he will support it and that the president of the United States will sign it.”

President Donald Trump has made clear he is unlikely to compromise anytime soon. On Sunday, he pressed Republicans once more to abolish the Senate's filibuster rules that prevent the chamber from advancing on most legislation unless there is support from 60 senators. “Be the Smart Party,” he said in a social media post.