Shutdown Confusion Deepens

Massive confusion is sweeping the nation regarding the end of the longest federal government shutdown in history after the U.S. Senate voted 60-40 to advance a bill to end the shutdown. Is it truly over? Not yet.

Here is what you need to know: Dick Durbin (IL), Tim Kaine (VA), Maggie Hassan (NH), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), John Fetterman (PA), Angus King (ME), Catherine Cortez Masto (NV), and Jacky Rosen (NV) – said enough is enough – and voted with Senate Republicans.

Meanwhile, many far-Left lawmakers are speaking out against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s leadership and the other Left-leaning Senators who sided with Republicans.

As reported earlier this morning:

The U.S. Senate on Sunday moved forward on a measure aimed at reopening the federal government and ending a now 40-day shutdown that has sidelined federal workers, delayed food aid and snarled air travel.

In a procedural vote, senators advanced a House-passed bill that will be amended to fund the government until January 30 and include a package of three full-year appropriations bills.

If the Senate eventually passes the amended measure, it still must be approved by the House of Representatives and sent to President Donald Trump for his signature, a process that could take several days.

Under a deal struck with a handful of Democrats who rebuffed their party’s leadership, Republicans agreed to a vote in December on extending subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. The subsidies, which help lower-income Americans pay for private health insurance and are due to expire at the end of the year, have been a Democratic priority during the funding battle.

The vote to advance the bill passed by a 60-40 margin, the minimum needed to overcome a Senate filibuster.

So the Senate took a key procedural vote last night to move forward with the continuing resolution – the so-called “clean CR.” Now that’s not the final passage, but it’s the first real step. Spending bills always start in the House, as this one did. The Senate is now using that bill as a kind of vessel to make amendments and replace the language with a bipartisan agreement – one that convinced eight Democrats to cross the aisle.

And that’s the headline. Eight Senate Democrats – said it’s time to move on. After 40-plus days of pain and uncertainty, they’re finally ready to relieve the American people and end the shutdown. That’s no small thing. That means the pressure has been mounting, especially back in their home states, where people are missing paychecks, benefits, and opportunities.

The new agreement isn’t a full-year resolution. It would only reopen the government through January 31 – so, yes, there’s a chance we face another shutdown fight next year. But that said, 2026 is a critical midterm year, and I doubt the far Left wants to kick off campaign season by shutting down the government again at the end of January.

Three specific appropriations – what they’re calling “minibus” bills – would fund Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture (including the FDA and SNAP), and the Legislative branch through next November. That’s important. Veterans get stability, SNAP recipients keep their benefits, and even if we hit another stalemate next year, those programs won’t be held hostage again. Amid all this discussion, President Trump also weighed in, urging FAA workers to return to their posts and offering potential bonuses to get the system moving again.

So when might this all happen? That depends on what goes down today in the Senate. They’re aiming for a unanimous consent vote to speed things up. But all it takes is one Senator –such as Bernie Sanders (VT), Chris Murphy (CT), or even Chuck Schumer (NY) – to object and slow it all back down. If they get consent, the Senate could pass it tonight. If not, it drags into the weekend or even next week.

Today’s Sekulow broadcast included more analysis of this latest development in the ongoing government shutdown and how soon we could see movement. We were also joined by U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions Ric Grenell to discuss the shocking revelation that top executives at the BBC are out after being exposed for intentionally altering a speech given by President Trump to make it appear as if he had called for violence.

Watch the full broadcast below: