On Monday evening, President Donald Trump endorsed the U.S. Senate’s breakthrough to reopen the federal government, calling it a “very good” deal and vowing to “abide by the deal” as the package moves to the House.
The Senate approved the measure 60-40, ending the nation’s longest shutdown after more than 40 days, with eight members of the Senate Democratic caucus crossing over to join a unified GOP conference minus one.
The bill keeps agencies funded into late January and couples the continuing resolution with full-year FY2026 funding for Military Construction-VA, the Legislative Branch, and Agriculture-FDA.
According to news reports and sources close to the negotiations, Alabama U.S. Senator Katie Britt played an instrumental role in recent weeks.
As the primary Republican negotiator in talks with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), as well as top Democrat negotiators at the rank-and-file level on the Democrat side like U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) – who each broke with their party and joined Republicans – Britt was reportedly in constant communication with the White House.
A report from CNBC amplified Britt’s philosophy for breaking the stalemate: “You can’t break a logjam without having a conversation.”
Punchbowl News reported this morning that Senator Kaine personally thanked Senator Britt on the Senate floor after announcing his support for the shutdown-ending deal and his conditions for backing the package.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) called Britt “a rock star” throughout the process of intense, historic negotiations.
On the U.S. House side, the conservative response has been overwhelmingly positive. A House Freedom Caucus bulletin syndicated once details emerged depicted the deal as, “A total win for HFC, conservative leadership, and messaging.”
Britt said on Monday evening that after more than 40 days, “the undue suffering of the American people will soon come to an end.”
“From the beginning, I have always viewed returning to regular order in our appropriations process as the best pathway forward. Ultimately, this package of appropriations bills, in addition to Republicans’ continuing resolution, will reopen the government, fund critical programs like SNAP and WIC, ensure our nation’s outstanding veterans have access to essential services, and pay our federal workers, Capitol police, and air traffic controllers,” Britt (R-Montgomery) said.
“I’m deeply proud to have voted over 15 times to keep the government open and working for Alabamians and the American people. I’m also grateful for my Senate Republican colleagues, and colleagues across the aisle, who worked diligently to bring this shutdown to an end. I am honored to have played a role in the negotiations that led us to this point, and I look forward to continuing to work to put people over politics and make our government function again.”
The U.S. Senate-passed CR ensures full-year military funding, a massive priority for Alabama, while keeping critical operations at agencies funded and ensuring federal workers receive back pay.
The U.S. House is expected to move next, followed by a signature from President Trump, which will bring an end to the longest government shutdown in United States history.
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
