A bipartisan deal to end the government shutdown cleared a key hurdle in the Senate on Sunday night, receiving the 60 votes needed to move toward final passage.

The agreement was led by Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, along with Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, both Democrats from New Hampshire.

The final vote was 6040, with most Republicans voting in favor, joined by a group of Democrats who had been holding out. Several Democrats still opposed the deal, and GOP Sen. Rand Paul also voted no.

The deal would fund the government through Jan. 30, setting up another deadline early next year. It also guarantees a December vote on an Affordable Care Act measure selected by Democrats, and advances a bipartisan minibus to reverse shutdown-related workforce cuts, restore back pay and guard against similar disruptions in the future.

It also includes full SNAP funding through fiscal year 2026. The nutrition program had been at risk as the shutdown stretched on.

With cloture invoked, the Senate now moves into limited debate before a final vote, which would only require a simple majority. If approved, the package would then head to the House where Speaker Mike Johnson has not yet said whether he supports the framework before reaching President Donald Trumps desk.

The shutdown began on Oct. 1 and is now the longest in U.S. history. The Senate has held more than a dozen votes during the standoff, as Democrats insisted on protecting Affordable Care Act tax credits set to expire at years end, while Republicans argued that broader health care negotiations should come after the government reopens.

The current deal does not include an extension of those subsidies.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) on Friday called a Democrat proposal to reopen the government a "non-starter," setting up continued gridlock on Capitol Hill as the government shutdown approaches 39 days long.

Senate Democrats on Friday unveiled a new proposal to reopen the government that would have passed a clean short-term funding bill while negotiations continue on a bipartisan spending package.

It called for extending existing Affordable Care Act tax credits for one year to prevent major increases in health insurance costs next year, and would have established a bipartisan committee to pursue longer-term reforms aimed at reducing health care costs.

But Leader Thune said seeking any agreement on health care would be premature.

"Thats what were going to negotiate once the government opens up," he said.

After the Democrats' proposal fizzled, there were few signs of obvious progress.

Were back to square one, said Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA).

The Senate will remain in session over the weekend while negotiations continue.

President Donald Trump has urged the chamber to continue negotiations until they have a Deal to end the Democrat Shutdown.

Pressure to end the shutdown is mounting. Millions of Americans could soon see interruptions in SNAP food assistance, and major airports are reporting delays as unpaid TSA officers and air traffic controllers call out sick at higher rates.

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Filibuster debate complicates shutdown resolution

Trump has renewed calls to eliminate the Senate filibuster, which requires 60 votes to pass most legislation. Removing this threshold would allow Republicans to pass government funding with a simple 51-vote majority.

However, several Republican senators oppose changing the filibuster rules.

"I don't want to change the filibuster rule simply because every time parties change and you have different presidents in different parties, you'll have wild swings in policy and it'd be very disruptive to the country," Senator Lindsey Graham said.

Republicans worry that eliminating the filibuster could allow Democrats to restore Roe v. Wade, admit Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico as states, and potentially add four Democratic senators to the chamber.

Democrats previously attempted to remove the filibuster during Joe Biden's presidency to restore abortion rights but were blocked by then-Democratic moderates Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, both of whom have since retired.

Thune has stated Republicans lack the votes to change the filibuster rule, despite continued pressure from Trump.

The federal government shutdown stretched into day 37 Thursday, marking the longest in U.S. history. Talks of a potential bipartisan agreement are emerging among some senators, though the path forward remains unclear.

Some Democrats are advocating for a one-year extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits to end the shutdown, while others want the credits permanently extended as part of a broader deal to reopen the government. Many Republicans have said they will not consider those proposals unless Democrats first agree to reopen federal agencies.

However, Sen. Chris Coons, D-Conn., one of the lawmakers involved in negotiations, told Scripps News he is optimistic that discussions are heading in the right direction.

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"The off ramp is for the president to get involved and to say to [House] Speaker [Mike] Johnson, 'bring the House back in, add a one-year extension to the Affordable Care Act tax credits,' and we could be, I suspect we could open within the hour," Coons said.

"So many of us want to see the shutdown end and don't see our leaders talking directly," he added. "... For us to have any confidence about what the House will do, either the president has to get involved or Speaker Johnson has to say they're willing to actually engage."

Coons outlined two possible ways forward. The first is for President Trump to intervene. However, during a Thursday White House event focused on weight-loss drug costs, the president avoided the topic of the shutdown. He has largely left negotiations to Congress, seeking to push Senate Democrats to accept a Republican funding bill without direct talks.

The second option involves congressional leaders striking a deal but House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday he would not agree to any backroom arrangement to reopen the government.

Questions remain about whether the Senate could move forward on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies and whether Johnson would bring such a proposal to the House floor. Until that happens, the shutdown is expected to continue.

Trump has suggested Republicans could end the shutdown by eliminating the Senate filibuster, a rule that requires 60 votes to limit debate and pass most legislation a threshold that allows Democrats to block GOP initiatives despite the partys 53-seat majority.

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Several Republicans told Scripps News they are open to discussing filibuster reforms, but most strongly oppose eliminating it. They warn that doing so could backfire if Democrats gain full control of Congress and the White House.

"I don't want to change the filibuster rule simply because every time parties change and you have different presidents and different parties, you'll have wild swings in policy and it'd be very disruptive to the country," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. "I think the filibuster plays a role in terms of providing stability, requiring consensus. But having said that, the president is rightly frustrated with the pace of things and ... I'd like to see our Democratic friends help us more."

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who is retiring, told Scripps News that Republicans lack the votes to scrap the filibuster, making changes unlikely. GOP leaders also fear Democrats could use a filibuster-free Senate to grant statehood to Washington, D.C., and other U.S. territories, potentially adding more Democratic seats.

Eyes nationwide are on Tuesday's race for governor in New Jersey, where Republicans believe their candidate Jack Ciattarelli has a chance to beat the odds and upset Democrat Mikie Sherill, who holds a slight lead in the polls.

Passaic County, New Jersey, was reliably Democratic county until the 2024 election, when President Donald Trump was able to flip it from blue to red. Now, Democrats are hoping to reverse that change.

The population is heavily Latino, whose voters propelled Trump to victory in the county.

Democratic canvassers were outside polling places in downtown Passaic City Tuesday, handing out flyers with information on their candidates listed in Spanish.

Voters told Scripps News they believe it's more important now than ever, even in an off year election, to come out and support their candidates.

"It's been hell," one voter said of President Donald Trump's second term in office so far. "So hopefully everybody within the state of Jersey still votes blue to try to change things around. Hopefully better for everybody."

The high cost of living in New Jersey, where property taxes are some of the highest in the nation, are at center stage in the race.

Some voters told Scripps News they had reservations about Ciattarelli, the Republican candidate in the race, who had voted in the New Jersey state legislature to raise taxes several times.

But much of the race remains uncharted territory. Democrats have not won three consecutive terms for governor since 1961. Ciattarelli is running in his third consecutive race for governor.

Off year elections also suffer from lower turnout than U.S. presidential or midterm elections.

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Republicans nationally warned that they were concerned about election integrity in this year's contests. New Jersey's Republican Party requested monitors from the U.S. Department of Justice.

"We're going to have election integrity efforts all over this state," KC Crosbie, Republican National Committee co-chair, told Scripps News. "Whatever we have to do to protect the vote, we're going to protect the vote, because we found in 2024 that when we do that, we win elections."

Republicans have called the possibility of election monitors common sense measures. Democrats have warned that the presence of such monitors could intimidate voters.

Scripps News has not seen evidence of election monitors in Passaic City. Election rules require monitors, members of the media and canvassers all maintain a distance of at least 100 feet from the entrance of polling locations.