WASHINGTON ― The U.S. Senate on Monday passed legislation to fund the government after a 41-day standoff over health care, sending the bill to the Republican-controlled House, which is expected to quickly approve it and end the government shutdown later this week.
The vote was 60-40, with 7 Democrats and one independent senator joining Republicans in support of the measure.
The impasse ended after a group of moderate Senate Democrats cut a deal with Republicans to fund the government without key demands of their party, including an extension of enhanced subsidies for people enrolled in the Affordable Care Act that are due to expire next year. Republicans agreed only to hold a vote on extending the tax credits next month, but that’s expected to fail due to widespread GOP opposition to the program.
Proponents of the deal argued it’s still a win for Democrats since Republicans previously weren’t willing to hold any votes on restoring ACA subsidies. Critics slammed it as a meaningless gesture that’s doomed to fail.
Monday’s vote on the deal to reopen the government was briefly stalled by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who opposed a measure in the bill that would outlaw certain synthetic cannabinoid products derived from hemp. Paul said the provision will destroy the hemp industry, which is active in his state of Kentucky, and demanded a vote to strip it out of the bill. But the Senate rejected it by a wide bipartisan margin.
