When the Senate voted to pass, with amendments, a bill to temporarily fund the U.S. government on Nov. 9, seven Democrats and one independent voted with all Republicans to proceed with the bill.
Five of these Democrats had voted no for weeks, leading to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. They changed their votes after both parties agreed to amend the bill and proceed with final passage.
Here is the list of those eight who voted to break the deadlock, and why they did it.
Catherine Cortez Masto
Cortez Masto is the junior senator from Nevada, who has held office since 2017 in the seat once held by the late Sen. Harry Reid, who was the Senate majority leader and a prominent Democratic leader during the Obama administration.“I have consistently voted against shutting down the government because I know the pain it is causing working families, from TSA agents to government contractors,” Cortez Masto wrote on social media. “We must extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits, but that can’t come at the expense of the millions of Americans across our country impacted by a shutdown,” she added, referring to Democrats’ earlier demand.
Cortez Masto had previously voted for the bill throughout the shutdown.
Richard J. "Dick" Durbin
Durbin is the senior senator from Illinois and the Senate minority whip, the second-highest-ranking member of the Senate Democratic Caucus. He is retiring at the end of the 119th Congress, having served since 1997."At Democrats’ urging, today’s bill is not the same one we’ve voted down 14 times. Republicans finally woke up and realized their Groundhog Day needed to end," wrote Durbin on social media.
"This bill is not perfect, but it takes important steps to reduce their shutdown’s hurt. Not only would it fully fund SNAP for the year ahead, but it would reverse the mass firings the Trump Administration ordered throughout the shutdown."
John Fetterman
Fetterman is the senior senator from Pennsylvania who is seeking re-election in 2028. He had consistently voted for the bill throughout the shutdown, arguing that progressive political priorities were less important than ensuring that the government stays open."I’m sorry to our military, SNAP recipients, gov[ernment] workers, and Capitol Police who haven’t been paid in weeks. It should’ve never come to this. This was a failure," Fetterman wrote on social media.
Maggie Hassan
Hassan is the junior senator from New Hampshire, of which she also served as governor until winning an election to the Senate in 2017. Hassan is seeking re-election in 2028, in a state where Republicans have done well despite New England's strong Democratic lean. Since Hassan's departure, the state has consistently elected Republican governors—Chris Sununu and current Gov. Kelly Ayotte."A record-long government shutdown paired with record-high health insurance cost increases is not the kind of history that the American people want Congress to make. ... After weeks of bipartisan conversations, I voted today to reopen the government," Hassan wrote in a press release posted on her government website.
"[Now] Congress has one month to engage in serious, bipartisan negotiations to extend the Affordable Care Act’s expiring tax cuts for health insurance," she added.
Tim Kaine
Kaine is the junior senator from Virginia and also served as its 70th governor from 2006 to 2010. He represents many federal civil servants and government contractors who work in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and who did not receive paychecks during the government shutdown. The issue of federal worker pay became a major question during that state's recent gubernatorial election, which was won by the Democratic nominee, former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.)."I have long said that to earn my vote, we need to be on a path toward fixing Republicans’ health care mess and to protect the federal workforce. This deal guarantees a vote to extend Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, which Republicans weren’t willing to do," Kaine wrote on his website.
Angus King
King is the junior senator from Maine, a former governor, and an independent senator who caucuses with the Democratic Party. King consistently voted for the bill during the shutdown, and his vote remained the same."Today I again voted to re-open the government, resume vital services for Maine people, put people back to work, feed the hungry and secure an opportunity to avoid a harmful hike in health care costs," he announced on social media.
Jacky Rosen
Rosen is the senior senator from Nevada. Unlike her home state colleague Cortez Masto, however, she voted against the bill at the outset of the shutdown and changed her mind later. Nevada has many federal facilities, public lands, and employees who rely greatly on federal funding. In addition, the state has been trending Republican in recent years. In 2022, a Republican, Joe Lombardo, unseated the incumbent Democratic governor. During the 2024 election, the state was won by President Donald Trump."The concession we’ve been able to extract to get closer to extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits is a vote on a bill drafted and negotiated by Senate Democrats. Let me be clear: I will keep fighting like hell to ensure we force Republicans to get this done," Rosen wrote on her website.
Jeanne Shaheen
Shaheen is the senior senator from New Hampshire and, like Hassan, is a former governor. She is retiring from Congress in 2027, having served since 2009."There is no one in the Senate who wants to see [Affordable Care Act] tax credits extended more than me. But weeks of negotiations with Republicans have made clear that they will not address health care as part of shutdown talks—and that waiting longer will only prolong the pain Americans are feeling because of the shutdown," Shaheen wrote on her website to explain her vote.
"This agreement gives Democrats control of the Senate floor—at a time when Republicans control every level of power—on one of our top legislative priorities," she added, referring to the planned vote on health insurance subsidies.
From The Epoch Times