- - The 8 Senators Who Broke With Democrats to End the Shutdown

Callum SutherlandNovember 11, 2025 at 11:28 PM

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Sen. Tim Kaine speaks during a press conference following a vote on Capitol Hill on Nov. 9, 2025, in Washington, D.C. He's joined by Sen. Angus King, Sen. Maggie Hassan, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. Credit - Anna Rose Layden—Getty Images

The government is a step closer to reopening and ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history after eight members of the Senate Democratic Caucus broke with the Democrats by voting to pass a bill that provides funding for the large part of the federal government until Jan. 30.

The Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, but need a 60-vote majority to pass most legislation, as dictated by the Senate filibuster. The late Monday night vote saw the Republicans get the 60 “yes” answers they needed, after gaining eight votes across the aisle. Just one Republican failed to vote with their own party. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who often goes head-to-head with Trump, opted to vote with the large majority of the Democratic Caucus, instead.

However, many Democrats have expressed outrage over the Republican-penned funding bill, as it notably does not include an extension of the Obamacare (officially known as Affordable Care Act) tax credits which are set to expire at the end of the year—the very thing Democrats have been fighting for.

Throughout the shutdown, which has now entered its 41st day, the Republicans and Democrats have upheld a bitter stalemate and engaged in a blame game, with each holding the other responsible. At the core of the disagreement are spending and health care items. Democrats have demanded a reversal of the Medicaid cuts that feature in Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” and have fought to extend Obamacare tax credits.

The shutdown has resulted in a major disruption to SNAP benefits, leaving millions of Americans in limbo regarding access to food stamps, and has also sparked disarray to air travel across the U.S. Furthermore, thousands of federal workers have been either furloughed without pay, or ordered to still turn up to work despite no new pay checks.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has stood firm on his position, consistently voting against Republican-proposed funding bills that don’t include an extension of the Obamacare tax credits.

"I will not support the Republican bill that’s on the Senate floor because it fails to do anything of substance to fix America’s healthcare crisis," Schumer said before casting his "no" vote on Monday night.

But not all members of the Senate Democratic Caucus felt the same.

The eight that strayed from their core group first secured a commitment from Senate Majority Leader John Thune over the weekend, negotiating for a December floor vote that would address extending Obamacare tax credits. They also secured word that the White House would reverse the firings of thousands of federal workers, plus guarantee them back pay.

However, on Monday night, ahead of the main vote for the funding bill, the Senate voted 47-53 along party lines not to extend the Obamacare tax credits for one year. The results arguably cast a bleak outlook as to how the vote in December may unfold. Furthermore, while Thune has promised to take up the subsidies measure by the second week of December, House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he will not bring the measure for a vote.

In the midst of the uncertainty regarding the health care items, Schumer is facing backlash from within his own party for failing to unite the Democrats to stand strong until the Republicans agreed to extend the Obamacare tax credits. Some Democrats are even calling for new leadership.

While President Donald Trump said on Monday that “we’re going to be opening up our country very quickly,” there is a little way to go before the government can reopen. Following the vote in the Senate, the legislation has been moved to the House of Representatives, where it will face another vote.

As the Republican-led House has been on recess since the government shutdown, Representatives now need to travel back to Washington, D.C., in order for a session—and thus, a vote—to take place.

With all eyes now on the next vote, here’s what to know about the eight members of the Senate Democratic Caucus who broke away from the Democrat line.

Angus King (I-Maine)

One of just two Independent Senators in the 119th Congress (the other being Sen. Bernie Sanders) Angus King has represented Maine as one of its Senators since 2013. King caucuses with the Democrats, but has supported a Republican-penned stopgap bill to fund the government since the start of the shutdown.

In a statement, King explained his decision, asking: “Does the shutdown further the goal of achieving some needed support for the extension of the tax credits? Our judgment was that it will not produce that result.”

King described the ongoing shutdown as a “crisis” for millions of Americans either missing out on pay as federal workers or those not receiving SNAP payments in November.

“I believe that we are closer tonight to a vote on the ACA (Affordable Care Act) tax credits than we were this morning,” King said after Sunday's initial vote to advance the stopgap funding measure.

Nathan Posner—Getty Images" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/XkJYvAeFK30x9rWyQfpZKw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_time_773/36764af6f722ddee3f5a13f2fbdddae3>Nathan Posner—Getty Images" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/XkJYvAeFK30x9rWyQfpZKw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_time_773/36764af6f722ddee3f5a13f2fbdddae3 class=caas-img>Sen. Angus King speaks at a press conference in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 9, 2025.Nathan Posner—Getty ImagesDick Durbin (D-Ill.)

Despite his vote in favor of the Republican legislation, Illinois’ Senior Sen. Dick Durbin has continued his criticism of the Republican pursuit to cut back on health care premiums for Americans under the ACA.

“Republicans have done everything in their power, while controlling both Congress and the Presidency, to shut down the government rather than help Americans afford to go to the doctor,” said Durbin, who was elected to the Senate in 1996.

The Senate Minority Whip did, however, say that the latest, revised funding bill is different to what has previously been voted against by the majority of the Senate Democratic Caucus.

“Republicans finally woke up and realized their Groundhog Day needed to end. This bill is not perfect, but it takes important steps to reduce their shutdown’s hurt,” said Durbin, regarding the change in his vote.

Durbin argued that it is now up to Thune to “keep his promise” and schedule a vote on extending health care premiums in December.

Adam Gray—Getty Images" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/BGpr2gCXGx0HhG2A9jlduw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_time_773/678bc73e830d41d6d84166558c06878e>Adam Gray—Getty Images" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/BGpr2gCXGx0HhG2A9jlduw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_time_773/678bc73e830d41d6d84166558c06878e class=caas-img>Sen. Dick Durbin speaks to members of the media during a news conference outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, Illinois, on Oct. 10, 2025.Adam Gray—Getty ImagesJeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)

Jeanne Shaheen has stood as New Hampshire’s Senior Senator since 2009. Explaining her breakaway from the party’s stance, Shaheen said “there is no one in the Senate who wants to see these tax credits extended more than me” but she voted to reopen the government because “negotiations with Republicans have made clear that they will not address health care as part of shutdown talks—waiting longer will only prolong the pain Americans are feeling because of the shutdown.”

The Senator said that work must begin immediately to negotiate on extending tax premiums for millions of Americans on health care under ACA.

"President Trump, Leader Thune, and Speaker Johnson have all said they are willing to find a way of extending these tax credits. We are ready to negotiate immediately," she urged.

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New Hampshire’s Junior Senator, Maggie Hassan, who has served in the role since 2017, said the legislation that she voted in favor of “funds SNAP and food assistance programs, ensures that law enforcement, air traffic controllers, and other federal workers get paid, reverses the President’s recent reckless layoffs and prevents them from happening in the future and, crucially, gives Congress a clear path forward to protecting people’s health care.”

Hassan said that she has spoken to people in her state affected by health care cost rises and those who have not received SNAP payments, prompting grave concern. “I urge Speaker Johnson to finally return the House of Representatives into session and quickly reopen the government,” she pleaded.

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Pennsylvania’s Senior Senator John Fetterman, a vocal critic of the Democrat stance on the shutdown, has voted on the same side as the majority of Republicans throughout the closure of the government.

"Feed everyone. Pay our military, government workers, and Capitol Police. End the chaos in airports. Country over party," Fetterman said on Monday, explaining his voting choice.

Fetterman, who has served Pennsylvania in the Senate since 2023, has criticised his own party’s conduct throughout the shutdown, accusing fellow Democrats of “playing chicken” with SNAP payments.

"I reject a political gamble that exposes a vulnerable constituency to widespread deprivation and chaos," he said on Oct. 28.

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In a statement outlining his reasons for voting in favor of the government funding legislation, Virginia’s Sen. Tim Kaine pointed towards what he believes pushed Republicans to guarantee a future vote on extending health care premiums.

“This deal guarantees a vote to extend the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, which Republicans weren’t willing to do. Lawmakers know their constituents expect them to vote for it, and if they don’t, they could very well be replaced at the ballot box by someone who will,” said Kaine, Virginia’s Junior Senator, who was sworn into the Senate in 2013.

“This legislation will protect federal workers from baseless firings, reinstate those who have been wrongfully terminated during the shutdown, and ensure federal workers receive back pay,” Kaine reasoned.

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Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, like Fetterman, has long voted in favor of reopening the government. “I know the pain it is causing working families,” she said after the most recent vote.

“With the government open, we can focus on passing a full, bipartisan budget for 2026,” said Cortez Masto, who had previously voted against a previous threat of government shutdown in March earlier this year, warning that such a pause in the government could be “devastating.”

The native Nevadan, who has represented her state in the Senate since 2017, said that her vote now puts the accountability in the hands of the Republicans regarding health care assistance for Americans.

“If Republicans want to join us in lowering costs for working families, they have the chance to do so. And if they do not come to the table, they will own the premium increases they cause,” she said.

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Nevada’s Junior Senator, Jacky Rosen, said it is “clear as we go deeper into the second month of this Republican government shutdown that President Trump and Washington Republicans are weaponizing their power in alarming ways.”

Calling the conduct of Trump and his colleagues as “nothing short of appalling,” Rosen—who was sworn into the U.S. Senate in 2019—said that the vote to reopen the government would force Republicans to adjust their position on extending health care premiums.

“Senate Republicans need to work with us in a bipartisan way before the next deadline,” she argued.

Tom Williams—Getty Images." data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/.vFtYhZZME0.AgTe.oGBrg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_time_773/fecd5b2b739942102a8f86cfa50d85ae>Tom Williams—Getty Images." src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/.vFtYhZZME0.AgTe.oGBrg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_time_773/fecd5b2b739942102a8f86cfa50d85ae class=caas-img>Sen. Jacky Rosen speaking at a hearing in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 10, 2025.Tom Williams—Getty Images.

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