Senate votes to end shutdown

NPR - A bipartisan group of senators reached a deal last night to reopen the government and end the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The vote on the first procedural step was 60 to 40, with seven Democrats and one independent joining most Republicans on the measure. The agreement would fund the government through Jan. 30.

Along with the stopgap measure to fund the government, the Democrats who defected received a promise of a vote on health care, NPR’s Claudia Grisales tells Up First. Some of the Democrats who voted no were furious about the defection. Sen. Elizabeth Warren stated that the defection was a terrible mistake and that the American people want them to fight for health care. The Senate has several hurdles to clear before the measure can be passed, and even then, it will need to pass the House.

The Trump administration now has two days to increase SNAP benefits from 65% to 100% after a federal appeals court refused a request to pause a lower court's orders to do so. The administration could ask the U.S. Supreme Court to get involved in the matter for the second time in just a few days. Another battle is unfolding involving states that have already paid out full benefits after a federal judge ordered it, but before the higher court said ‘not so fast,’ NPR’s Tovia Smith says.  Much of these legal battles could be rendered moot with the expectation that when the government reopens, Congress can appropriate SNAP funding for the fiscal year. Smith says there is no certainty as to when families will receive the benefits after the shutdown ends, but in the past states motivated to get benefits flowing did so within a matter of days. When speaking with Americans who receive SNAP benefits, Smith has heard a sense of relief from some that they could soon receive the funds, and others have been cautiously hopeful.    Axios  -  The promised Senate vote on the ACA, on a bill of Democrats' choosing, is set to occur by the end of the second week in December, per a source familiar. That sets up a crucial period during which senators could delink the enhanced tax credits from government funding and try to reach a deal on eligibility changes that are more acceptable to Republicans. The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of discussions, said Democrats will "move swiftly" to take Republicans up on their pledges to negotiate once the government is reopened "and hold them accountable in the public eye if they refuse to engage in good faith." But an ACA deal still faces difficult odds, especially now that President Trump has weighed in against an extension and proposed sending the money directly to consumers to spend on health care as they chose. The decision by eight moderate senators — including Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Angus King (I-Maine) — to support reopening the government without concrete action on the subsidies prompted blowback from other Democrats. "That's not a deal. It's an unconditional surrender that abandons the 24 million Americans whose health care premiums are about to double," Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) wrote on X. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he is also opposed to the agreement, saying any government funding deal must extend the ACA tax credits. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also told reporters he would vote no. Read more