Although it still needs approval in the House of Representatives, the Senate passed the government funding bill 60-40, which will allow President Donald Trump's government to be funded and reopened.

After a 41-day shutdown, the Senate passed the bill on Monday, which consists of several laws, with the support of Democratic Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, both of Nevada; Dick Durbin of Illinois; John Fetterman of Pennsylvania; Tim Kaine of Virginia; Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, both from New Hampshire, and Angus King from Maine.

If the plan moves smoothly through the House, it could be sent to President Trump for his signature this week and would provide funding until January 30, but some programs, such as SNAP food assistance, will have resources until September 30, 2026, that is, the entire 2026 fiscal year.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (Louisiana) asked members of Congress to return to discuss and pass the plan, which combines three appropriations bills for fiscal year 2026: one on Agriculture-FDA, one on Legislative Branch, and one on Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, with a budget continuity resolution to maintain funding for the other federal departments and agencies.

The Military Construction-Veterans Affairs bill funds the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) until fiscal year 2026.

Another part maintains funding for the operations of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and preserves the benefits of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which are considered essential for millions of families.

While the Legislative Assembly's bill maintains funding for the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

President Trump expressed satisfaction with the Senate's decision.

“From what I've heard, they haven't changed a thing,” Trump declared Monday in the Oval Office prior to the vote. “And we have the support of enough Democrats, so we are going to reopen our country.”

If the House moves forward with the bill this Wednesday, the funds will arrive to prevent further flight delays, after more than 1,000 cancellations due to a lack of air traffic controllers and other airport personnel.

Some details

The USDA funding does not include the plan to reorganize its operations, as it seeks to relocate 2,600 employees out of Washington and consolidate dozens of offices, but none of the agencies can “prematurely initiate actions to reassign personnel” without knowing the budget for fiscal year 2027.

It is noteworthy that the research area at the USDA received $3.5 billion in funding for the Agricultural Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, despite Trump's proposal to virtually dismantle those programs.

It is also contemplated that the FDA, An agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), funded as part of the farm financing bill, saw its budget cut by $415 million compared to fiscal year 2025, as part of staffing changes implemented by the Trump administration. Regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs, although Secretary Doug Collins proposed reducing the workforce by more than 80,000 employees, the final reduction will be 30,000 using only voluntary departures. However, due to concerns about shortcomings in public service, lawmakers included a new provision in a statement requiring the department to maintain necessary staffing levels. What about affordable health insurance? The Democrats' biggest achievement regarding grants for affordable health insurance (through the Affordable Care Act) was a promise from Republicans that there will be legislation on the matter, according to Division A of the 2026 Appropriations Bill, which is set for December 5, 2025. as a deadline.

The health care tax credits provided by the Affordable Care Act—passed in 2021 by Democrats—help more than 20 million Americans purchase health insurance in state marketplaces, but the benefit expires at the end of the year, impacting the cost of health insurance for millions of families.

“No later than December 5, 2025,The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall provide the House and Senate Appropriations Committees with a complete list of the rescissions or cancellations that will proceed pursuant to Section 101,” the Senate-approved bill states. Latino senators, such as Democrats Alex Padilla (California) and Ruben Gallego (Arizona), previously criticized the bill, which they did not vote for, due to its lack of consideration for health insurance. “We Democrats fight to make health care more affordable and to hold this corrupt and illegal administration accountable,” Padilla said.