The longest government shutdown in the nation’s history could finally come to an end Wednesday with a vote by the U.S. House, which comes back into session for the first time in more than 50 days.
The shutdown started 43 days ago, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers without paychecks, causing widespread flight delays and cancellations, and leaving more than 40 million SNAP recipients without full access to food assistance.
The House can take a final step toward reopening the government by approving the new continuing resolution the U.S. Senate passed this week, with the help of seven Democrats and an Independent.
The previous version, passed by the House on Sept. 19, was blocked by Democrats 14 times in the Senate before the legislative logjam broke Sunday night.
The House plans to convene around 4 p.m. for final debate, and a series of votes that will likely stretch into the early evening.
House Speaker Mike Johnson believes Republicans will have enough votes, possibly with a few Democrats joining them, to pass the measure.
If approved, the resolution will be sent to President Donald Trump, whose signature will mark the end of the shutdown.
Most House Democrats plan to vote against the bill
House Democratic leaders have urged rank-and-file lawmakers to vote against the legislation, even though they also say they want the shutdown to end.
Rep. James Walkinshaw, a Democrat from Virginia’s 11th District, said he plans to vote no.
He said he doesn’t believe the legislation does enough to address “the health care affordability crisis that we’re in.”
Walkinshaw pointed to the fact that the measure doesn’t do anything about extending subsidies for the Affordable Care Act before the end of the year, which could cause health insurance premiums to skyrocket.
He noted he recently met with a constituent whose family is very concerned about what’s ahead.
“A soon-to-be father. And his family is looking at health care premiums that will double next year, which they cannot afford,” Walkinshaw said. “So he’s going to go without health insurance.”
He said those type of stories are being heard across Virginia and the entire country, with millions of people affected by changes to the ACA.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune pledged to hold a vote related to the ACA in December, but said he can’t guarantee an outcome.
Walkinshaw said that while he doesn’t agree with the decision of fellow Democrat and Virginia U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine to help advance the legislation now before the House, he applauds his work to get more protections for the pay and jobs of federal employees.
But Walkinshaw also said he’s not confident the Trump administration will adhere to the new legislation, which calls for the rehiring of thousands of federal workers who were laid off during the shutdown, as well as prohibiting more reductions in force notices after it is over.
He pointed out the latter requirement only extends to Jan. 30, the endpoint of the new funding agreement.
House will finally swear in newly elected lawmaker
The return of the House will also mean an end to the long wait for Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, of Arizona’s 7th District, to be sworn in.
Grijalva won a special election Sept. 23, but Johnson refused to have her sworn in, claiming it couldn’t be done while the House was not in session.
Democrats have been highly critical of Johnson’s standpoint, noting the House speaker swore in two Republicans earlier this year during a pro-forma session. They argue she wasn’t sworn in, due in part to the fact that she plans to sign a discharge petition, which Johnson denies.
It would provide its sponsors with the 218 signatures needed for legislation that seeks to force the Justice Department to release more documents in the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Once Grijalva is sworn in, Republicans will have a 219-214 majority in the House.
Without Democratic support, Johnson could only afford to lose two GOP votes for the legislation to end the shutdown to pass.
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