A group of shutdown-weary Democratic senators voted with Republicans Sunday night to advance a legislative vehicle to reopen the federal government and end the 40-day shutdown that has left tens of thousands of workers furloughed and caused chaos at the nation’s airports. The Senate voted 60-40 to proceed to a House-passed continuing resolution to reopen the government, taking a big first step toward ending the shutdown after a group of centrist Democrats negotiated a funding deal with Senate Republican colleagues and the White House.

Eight Democrats joined Senate Republicans late Sunday night in voting to advance a House-passed short-term funding measure, the first step in weeks toward ending the government shutdown. Fourteen previous Senate votes fell short of the 60 votes needed to move the legislation forward. Though more hurdles remain, the vote paves the way for an end to the shutdown as early as this week.

The Senate took a massive step forward on its way to reopening the government on Sunday, with a group of Senate Democrats caving and joining Republicans in their bid to pass a revamped plan to end the shutdown. Signs that the shutdown, which entered its 40th day, could be ending became more and more clear as the day went on, particularly with the unveiling of a bipartisan package of spending bills that lawmakers hope to attach to a modified bill to reopen the government. Eight Senate Democrats crossed the aisle to mark the first step in the GOP’s quest to end the shutdown. Many of the lawmakers that splintered from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., were among those engaged in bipartisan talks over the last several weeks.

Prior to the administration of President Donald Trump, the United States played the role of “Uncle Sucker” and was the victim of unfair trade policies worldwide. American goods were either rejected by other countries or faced massive duties, while foreign goods were allowed to flow into our country with minimal tariffs. Under President Trump, these policies have thankfully changed. In the last fiscal year, tariff revenue for the United States dramatically rose to $215.2 billion, compared to only $77 billion the previous year. In October of 2025, the first month of the new fiscal year, the country realized an amazing $35.9 billion in tariff revenue. According to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the President’s tariff policies will garner at least $500 billion in revenue annually.

A presentation by scientists on a work group for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory panel highlighted various alleged “safety uncertainties” of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, including those about cancer and changes to the immune system. Scientists, however, told us that many of the cited studies are either misconstrued or of poor quality. As with all medical products, the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are not 100% safe. But the vast majority of people experience only temporary and mild side effects, which are expected. Serious side effects can occur but are rare.

Back in September, when I was reporting an article on whether Democrats should shut down the government, I kept hearing the same warning from veterans of past shutdown fights: The president controls the bully pulpit. He controls, to some degree, which parts of the government stay open and which parts close. It is very, very hard for the opposition party to win a shutdown. Which makes it all the more remarkable that Democrats were winning this one. Polls showed that most voters blamed Republicans, not Democrats, for the current shutdown — perhaps because President Trump was bulldozing the East Wing of the White House rather than negotiating to reopen the government. Trump’s approval rating has been falling — in CNN’s tracking poll, it dipped into the 30s for the first time since he took office again. And last week, Democrats wrecked Republicans in the elections and Trump blamed his party’s losses in part on the shutdown. Democrats were riding higher than they have been in months.

The government may be on the verge of reopening after Democrats splintered on their key demand and enough caved to Republicans’ refusal to negotiate on health care until the shutdown ends. Eight Senate Democrats showed their support on Sunday for a spending package to reopen the government through January in exchange for a vote next month on extending enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. Those Democrats joined all but one Republican in approving a procedural vote needed to clear a filibuster on the spending package.

The U.S. Senate has advanced a deal to end the record-breaking 40-day government shutdown, marking the first step toward reopening following weeks of deadlock. A bloc of eight Democrats voted with Republicans in a 60-40 vote on a package that would temporarily fund the government until January 30, 2026, and fully fund several key agencies for the entire fiscal year. This is the first step toward reopening the government, though the measure still needs to clear a final Senate vote before heading to the House of Representatives.