Nevada Senators Cross Party Lines to End Shutdown
The Senate took its first major step on Sunday toward ending the government shutdown after a bipartisan group of moderates, including Nevada Senators Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto, agreed to move forward on compromise legislation.
The senators proceeded without a guaranteed continuation of health care subsidies, a move that frustrated many Democrats who wanted to keep pressing for an extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which are set to expire in January.
Senate Votes to Advance the Measure
In a preliminary vote, the Senate approved a motion 60–40 to begin advancing the funding bill. The proposal would reopen the government and schedule a later vote on the ACA subsidies. Final approval could still take several days if objections delay proceedings.
Reactions Within the Democratic Party
The agreement falls short of ensuring that the health care subsidies will continue — an issue Democrats have pushed for nearly six weeks. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer voted against the motion, joined by all but eight of his Democratic colleagues.
Rosen had previously stated that Nevadans did not send her to Washington to “cave” to Republicans.
Despite earlier resistance, both Rosen and Cortez Masto ultimately supported advancing the bipartisan plan as the prolonged shutdown began taking a heavy toll across the nation — marking the longest government closure in U.S. history.
more