As CNBC reported what will happen weeks ago, enough Democrats finally joined Republicans to advance a short-term spending package to put the government on a path to reopening.
The Senate voted 60-40 to pass legislation that will result in the end of the longest government shutdown on Monday, according to the Associated Press. As the shutdown effected federal food aid, federal employees, and even airports, five moderate Democrats switched their vote so the legislation could pass.
After that, it must clear the House of Representatives before it can become law and reopen the government. Speaker Mike Johnson has prompts all 435 members back to Washington for that potential vote, which will happen on Wednesday at the earliest. Once both chambers approve the bill, it will go to President Trump to sign, upon which the shutdown will finally be over.
The agreement that was passed did not include extending health care subsidies, which the Democrats were championing for. Instead, the Republicans promised that a vote on the issue will take place in December.
Robert Knight is a columnist for the Washington Times. He thinks those Democrats felt the pressure.
"I think maybe they're hearing from a lot of their constituents, who have wised up to the fact that the Democrats could have ended this at any time over the last month and chose not to," states Knight.
Knight says that the central issue in reforming Obamacare remains.
"Republicans do have alternatives to Obamacare; they just haven't been able to enact them because the Democrats have opposed any reforms, really, to Obamacare. They just want to keep shoveling more money at it," informs Knight.
Knight says that there are two groups that taxpayers should object to: people that have at least four times the poverty income and illegal aliens.
“They would all get Obamacare subsidies paid for by taxpayers. That's what this was about,” explains Knight. “Of course, if you just follow legacy media, you wouldn't know that. You just think it was the bad Republicans shutting down the government for no good reason."
