The U.S. Senate voted 60-40 last night on a procedural motion, meeting the 60-vote threshold to proceed with consideration of legislation that will reopen the federal government. A final vote on the legislation itself is expected in the Senate as early as today, and will be followed with a vote in the House later this week.
The agreement will fund parts of the government for the remainder of the fiscal year (through next September), while most of the government will operate only on a short-term continuing resolution (CR) through January 30. Eight Senate Democrats agreed to this deal on the promise of Senate Republicans holding a vote on extension of the enhanced ACA health insurance subsidies next month; however, there is no guarantee this will pass the Senate or even be taken up for a vote in the House. It’s possible that if an extension of the ACA subsidies does not happen that Senate Democrats would once again force a shutdown when the CR through January expires.
The agreement includes full funding for three appropriations bills: MilCon-VA, Agriculture and the Legislative Branch; it does not include the Labor-HHS appropriations bill, where Argentum’s priorities are primarily located. The package would also reverse the terminations of federal employees that occurred during the shutdown and would prevent future layoffs through January 30.
The eight Senate Democrats who joined with Senate Republicans on the procedural vote were: Minority Whip Dick Durbin (IL), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Maggie Hassan (NH) Angus King (ME), Tim Kaine (VA), John Fetterman (PA), Catherine Cortez Masto (NV) and Jacky Rosen (NV).
Timing Expectations:
- The Senate will convene today at 11:00 am; a vote could happen this afternoon but is likely to be held up through procedural motions that may push a vote on final passage until Tuesday or Wednesday.
- The House will formally call lawmakers back immediately following the Senate vote; lawmakers will have 36-hours to return to Washington, D.C. once this call is made, placing a vote in the chamber sometime between Wednesday and Friday.
- Once both chambers have passed the package it will head to the White House for President Trump’s signature to formally end the shutdown.
Potential Challenges:
- A final vote on passage in the Senate can be fast-tracked to bypass a lengthy procedural process, but only if no senator objects. Given significant Democrat disagreement over the deal along with others who have expressed concerns, it is unlikely the vote will be fast-tracked.
- The House will have 219 Republicans to 214 Democrats, once Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) is sworn in. This means that, assuming all House Democrats remain opposed, House Republicans could only lose two votes to pass the bill. The last time the chamber voted on government funding two House Republicans voted against the package, Reps. Thomas Massie (KY) and Victoria Spartz (IN), and several House Republicans have already expressed concerns about the deal negotiated over the weekend.
- With the shutdown still in effect and the House in recess, many House lawmakers are not in Washington, D.C. and will face significant travel challenges to return in time for the vote, potentially impact the vote-math for passage.
Why this matters for senior living:
While the shutdown did not have major impacts to senior living communities, as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and other government programs continued uninterrupted, some government programs were impacted, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that faced potential cuts this month. The agreement would fund SNAP under the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.
Argentum is continuing to monitor other potential impacts to senior living communities, residents, and our workforce that may affect employee well-being, stability, and ultimately resident care and lead to downstream operational challenges for providers. We will provide any updates as warranted and please feel free to reach out to Paul Williams [email protected] or to one of our Argentum State Partner associations for further assistance.