Bipartisan negotiations in the US Senate appeared to gain momentum on Saturday as lawmakers from both parties worked to end the record 39-day federal government shutdown, which has crippled multiple agencies, disrupted food aid, and grounded air travel across the nation.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, confirmed that talks between Senate Republicans and Democrats had taken a “positive turn” in the last 24 hours. “Yeah, I’d say so,” Thune told reporters when asked if the latest discussions showed progress.
Lawmakers are currently drafting a series of full-year funding bills to reopen critical sectors of the government, including agriculture, food and nutrition programs, veterans’ affairs, military construction projects, and congressional operations. These measures, once finalized, would provide funding through September 30, 2026, giving the government longer-term stability.
In addition, senators are also preparing a stopgap funding measure that would temporarily reopen all federal agencies while negotiations continue on the remaining nine discretionary spending bills that cover departments such as Homeland Security, Defense, Housing, and Health.
Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota said the short-term continuing resolution, originally set to expire on November 21, is being revised to extend government funding through late January 2026. “It would buy us the time we need to finish work on the other bills,” he said.
Thune hinted that Senate leaders could bring the proposals for a vote soon, possibly as early as Saturday evening. “It would be great if we could get votes today, but we’ll see how the day goes as people have a chance to firm up their positions,” he said.
Despite some optimism, tensions remain high. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer accused the Trump administration of “playing politics” with basic services by cutting SNAP (food stamp) funding and forcing the FAA to reduce flights due to air traffic controller shortages. “The administration is making Americans pay the price for their own political games,” Schumer said during a floor speech.
Schumer also criticized Republicans for rejecting a Democratic proposal to include a one-year extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance subsidies in the reopening package. The subsidies currently help over 24 million Americans afford healthcare coverage.
Republicans, however, have made it clear that they won’t negotiate on health subsidies until the shutdown ends. Thune reiterated that President Donald Trump is pushing for a new approach to healthcare that bypasses insurance companies. “The President wants to see lower premiums and a more direct benefit to individuals,” Thune said.
Earlier in the day, Trump posted on Truth Social, urging Senate Republicans to redirect the “hundreds of billions of dollars” spent on ACA subsidies directly to citizens as personal payments. “Send the money directly to the people so they can purchase their own, much better healthcare,” Trump wrote, calling Obamacare “a disaster.”
Democrats largely dismissed the proposal, calling it vague and unworkable. The White House declined to clarify whether the President’s comments represented a formal policy shift or a negotiation tactic.
The prolonged shutdown — the longest in US history — has paralyzed federal operations and left hundreds of thousands of government employees without pay. Key social programs are now facing severe strain.
According to the First Five Years Fund, about 10,000 children and families across 18 states and Puerto Rico have been cut off from Head Start early education and nutrition programs due to frozen federal grants. The shutdown also halted food safety inspections, delayed veterans’ benefits, and forced national parks to close.
The Senate will reconvene at noon on Saturday (1700 GMT) to continue negotiations. To end the impasse, Republicans will likely need the support of at least eight Democratic senators to overcome procedural hurdles.
While optimism is growing, both sides acknowledge that a lasting solution depends on breaking weeks of entrenched political deadlock. As one senior Senate aide put it, “Everyone’s tired — the question is who blinks first.”
