WASHINGTON — In a vote that was 60-40, the Senate has taken the first step that may lead to the end of the historic government shutdown that has lasted 41 days.

Several moderate Democrats voted to back the bill that was the first procedural step to get the government back open, which has been closed since Oct. 1.

Johnson provides update

Updated 10:07 a.m. ET, Nov. 10: During his daily morning news conference, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) gave the next steps that the upper house is working on Monday morning when it comes to the continuing resolution, which includes moving forward on advancing the House CR, fully funding SNAP through the end of next year, three appropriation bills, and back pay for government workers affected by the shutdown.

Johnson said the Senate was back in session Monday morning. He noted they will need unanimous consent to fast-track bills for the vote.

Johnson pledged that at the moment the Senate passes the bill, the House will have a 36-hour notice to return to the Capitol to vote on the continuing resolution. He told House members to start traveling to D.C. due to travel delays in response to the government shutdown, CBS News reported.

He told a Bloomberg reporter that he believes he has the votes in the House to pass it.

He said he expected President Donald Trump to sign it.

Original report: Initially, it was expected that about a dozen senators would vote for the bill, but when the tally was done, it was only five additional senators who switched their votes and supported it. The Associated Press noted that it was the exact number of votes needed to have the process advance.

“I understand that not all of my Democratic colleagues are satisfied with this agreement,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said. “But waiting another week or another month wouldn’t deliver a better outcome. It would only mean more harm for families in New Hampshire and all across the country.”

The compromise would see the government funded while kicking a vote on extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits before the end of the year. Not all agree on the move, with Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, writing on X, “Accepting nothing but a pinky promise from Republicans isn’t a compromise — it’s capitulation. Millions of families would pay the price.”

Even if the bill passes the Senate, Speaker Mike Johnson has said he would not necessarily bring it up in the House, the AP reported.

It also does away with the mass firings of about 4,000 people that President Donald Trump’s administration ordered during the shutdown, as well as ensures that government workers who have gone without pay for the past 40-plus days get back pay, The New York Times reported.

The tax credits expire on Jan. 1.

Despite the vote late Sunday night, it may still be days before federal employees are back to work. Democrats against the spending agreement may object to the plan. The House will still have to vote and if it does pass, Trump has to sign the bill.

The House has not been in session since Sept. 19 and will need to return to Washington to vote, the Times reported.

There are two parts of the agreement. Food aid, veterans programs and the legislative branch are among the groups that will get funding for a full year, The New York Times reported. Others would have their funding extended until the end of January, with lawmakers working on their full spending plans, the AP reported.

Trump told reporters on Sunday night, “It looks like we’re getting close to the shutdown ending.”

Democrats had voted 14 times not to reopen the government, standing firm on the extension of the ACA tax credits. Republicans have stood firm, saying they would not negotiate healthcare, but moderates have been working behind the scenes.

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