STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Congress is one step closer to ending the longest government shutdown in American history. The Senate approved a funding bill by a 60 to 40 vote.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Speaker Mike Johnson called the House of Representatives back to Washington after more than a month off. The House would have to pass the measure, and President Trump would need to sign it. The federal government could open within days, although a debate over health insurance subsidies remains unresolved.
INSKEEP: NPR congressional reporter Sam Gringlas is here. Sam, good morning.
SAM GRINGLAS, BYLINE: Hey, Steve.
INSKEEP: OK, so what exactly did the Senate pass?
GRINGLAS: So some of this is very similar to what the Senate has been voting on for weeks now, a temporary funding measure to fund the government for just a few weeks, in this case, through January 30. But this time, lawmakers also included three bipartisan annual appropriations bills that cover specific agencies, like the Department of Agriculture and the FDA. So instead of a short-term extension, those areas will be funded now through next September.
INSKEEP: OK, this is useful to know. This means the government could shut down again at the end of January but not the whole federal government.
GRINGLAS: Yeah, it would be just a partial government shutdown. And SNAP benefits, for example, they would not be in danger of running out this time. The package also includes a measure to undo the firings of federal workers during the shutdown and ensures federal workers get back pay. Here’s Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine.
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SUSAN COLLINS: This is a great victory for the American people. And it shows that the Senate can work, that we can produce the results that are needed.
GRINGLAS: Now, I should note a key element that you will not find in the text of this measure, and that’s an extension of expiring health care subsidies, which has been the crux of Democrats’ shutdown fight. What Senate Republicans have promised is a vote on that in the future.
INSKEEP: Oh, Republicans did promise the Democrats a vote, but they could’ve given them that vote a month ago. They were promising that vote a month ago. It doesn’t sound like Democrats got anything near what they wanted.
GRINGLAS: Yeah, Democrats really wanted something a lot more concrete. So in the end, all but seven Democrats and one independent who caucuses with them, they voted against this deal. Senate majority leader John Thune says he’ll hold a vote by mid-December on separate legislation to address the subsidies, but what exactly Democrats put forward is an open question. They need something that can win enough Republican votes. And while some Republicans do talk about wanting to prevent premiums from skyrocketing, they also want reforms. And a few weeks is not a lot of time for an overhaul.
INSKEEP: Well, even if a health care bill were to pass the Senate in that vote in December, what are the odds it gets a vote in the House and gets signed by the president?
GRINGLAS: You know, this is exactly what many Democrats, like Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin, are worried about.
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TAMMY BALDWIN: A handshake deal with my Republican colleagues to reopen the government and no guarantee to actually lower cost is simply not good enough. The people I work for need more than that.
GRINGLAS: House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters yesterday he could not guarantee a vote. And it’s also unclear what Trump is willing to support.
INSKEEP: OK, so we don’t know what’s going to happen with people who rely on Obamacare subsidies, Affordable Care Act subsidies, the extra subsidies, we should add. But people who rely on food assistance, who are traveling for Thanksgiving - we’re thinking about the FAA and air traffic controllers - do they have relief?
GRINGLAS: House members have been told to report to Washington for a vote Wednesday. After being out for weeks, Johnson may have his work cut out for him to get this shutdown-ending deal to the president. But he says it will get done. The dispute over health care, though, does remain unresolved, along with this contentious political debate about how this shutdown played out with the midterm elections just around the corner.
INSKEEP: NPR’s Sam Gringlas. Thanks so much.
GRINGLAS: Thanks, Steve. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
