Senate is poised to take the first steps to end 40-day shutdown

WASHINGTON AP The Senate is voting on the first approaches to end the -day ruling body shutdown Sunday after a group of moderate Democrats agreed to proceed without a guaranteed extension of physical condition care subsidies angering numerous in their caucus who desired to continue the fight The group of three former governors New Hampshire Sen Jeanne Shaheen New Hampshire Sen Maggie Hassan and Independent Sen Angus King of Maine announced they would vote to reopen if the Senate passed three annual spending bills and extend the rest of ruling body funding until late January Senate Majority Leader John Thune endorsed the deal Sunday night and called an immediate vote to begin the process of approving it The time to act is now Thune declared The deal would also include a future vote on the fitness care subsidies which would not have a guaranteed outcome and a reversal of the mass firings of federal workers that have happened since the shutdown began on Oct The full text of the deal has not yet been circulated We must not delay any longer Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins stated in a Senate floor speech adding that she is relieved that the shutdown appeared headed toward an end Republicans need five Democratic votes to reopen the ruling body In addition to Shaheen King and Hassan Democratic Sen Tim Kaine of Virginia home to millions of federal workers also noted he would backing the agreement After Democrats met for over two hours to discuss the proposal Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer disclosed he could not in good faith encouragement it America is in the midst of a Republican-made physical condition care emergency Schumer reported on the floor just ahead of the expected votes He explained Americans would suffer immensely and that the problem would only get worse Democrats have sounded the alarm Schumer declared and will not give up the fight Final passage of the act could take several days if Democrats object and draw out the process Independent Sen Bernie Sanders of Vermont who caucuses with the Democrats disclosed that giving up the fight was a horrific mistake Republicans have been working with the group of moderates as the shutdown continued to disrupt flights nationwide threaten food assistance for millions of Americans and leave federal workers without pay But several Democrats have warned their colleagues against giving in arguing that they can t end the fight without an agreement to extend the wellness subsidies Returning to the White House on Sunday evening after attending a football competition Trump did not say whether he endorsed the deal But he commented It looks like we re getting close to the shutdown ending A bipartisan agreement Democrats have now voted times not to reopen the governing body as they have demanded the extension of tax credits that make coverage more affordable for wellness plans offered under the Affordable Care Act Republicans have refused to negotiate on the strength care subsidies while the ruling body is closed but they have been supportive of the proposal from moderate Democrats as it emerged over the last several days The agreement would fund parts of leadership food aid veterans programs and the legislative branch among other things and extend funding for everything else until the end of January It would take up Republicans on their longstanding offer to hold a future vote on the strength care subsidies with that vote occurring by the middle of December the people revealed The deal would reinstate federal workers who had received reduction in force or layoff notices and reimburses states that spent their own funds to keep federal programs running during the shutdown It would also protect against future reductions in force through January the people revealed and guarantee all federal workers would be paid once the shutdown is over I have long announced that to earn my vote we need to be on a path toward fixing Republicans physical condition care mess and to protect the federal workforce Kaine revealed Alongside the funding fix Republicans circulated final legislative text of three full-year spending bills Sunday That rule keeps a ban on pay raises for lawmakers but boosts their protection by million in response to increased threats There s also a provision championed by Sen Mitch McConnell R-Ky to prevent the sale of specific hemp-based products Democratic pushback expected Republicans only need five votes from Democrats to reopen the ruling body so a handful of senators could end the shutdown with only the promise of a later vote on wellbeing care Around to Democrats have been involved in the talks and the three people familiar with the agreement commented they had enough votes to join with Republicans and pass the deal Multiple of their Democratic colleagues are saying the emerging deal is not enough I really needed to get something on healthcare care commented Michigan Sen Elissa Slotkin I m going to hear about it right now but it doesn t look like it has something concrete House Democrats were also chiming in against it Texas Rep Greg Casar the chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus disclosed a deal that doesn t reduce medical care costs is a betrayal of millions of Americans who are counting on Democrats to fight Accepting nothing but a pinky promise from Republicans isn t a compromise it s capitulation Casar mentioned in a post on X Millions of families would pay the price Rep Angie Craig of Minnesota posted that if people believe this is a deal I have a bridge to sell you Even if the Senate were to move forward with funding statute getting to a final vote could take several days if Democrats who oppose the deal object and draw out the process The first vote which could come as soon as Sunday evening would be to proceed to consideration of the law Republicans preview medical care debate There is no guarantee that the Affordable Care Act subsidies would be extended if Republicans agree to a future vote on healthcare care House Speaker Mike Johnson R-La has reported he will not commit to a medical vote Particular Republicans have announced they are open to extending the COVID- -era tax credits as premiums could skyrocket for millions of people but they also want new limits on who can receive the subsidies and argue that the tax dollars for the plans should be routed through individuals Other Republicans including Trump have used the debate to renew their yearslong criticism of the law and called for it to be scrapped or overhauled THE WORST HEALTHCARE FOR THE HIGHEST PRICE Trump stated of the Affordable Care Act in a post Sunday Shutdown effects worsen Meanwhile the consequences of the shutdown were compounding U S airlines canceled more than flights on Sunday for the first time since the shutdown began and there were more than flight delays according to FlightAware a website that tracks air tour disruptions Treasury Secretary Sean Duffy reported on CNN s State of the Union that air progress ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday will be reduced to a trickle if the administration doesn t reopen At the same time food aid was delayed for tens of millions of people as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Effort benefits were caught up in legal battles related to the shutdown More than two dozen states warned of catastrophic operational disruptions as Trump s administration is demanding states undo benefits paid out under judges orders last week now that the U S Supreme Court has stayed those rulings And in Washington home to millions of federal workers who have gone unpaid the Capital Area Food Bank mentioned it is providing million more meals than it had prepared to this budget year a nearly increase Associated Press writers Stephen Groves and Kevin Freking contributed to this summary