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Fox has learned that Senate Republicans hope that enough Senate Democrats may be willing to join them to help break the filibuster on a test vote to fund the government sometime in January. The proposal would fund the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as Congress, through September 30, 2026.
‘Twisted irony’: Democrats risk betraying their own pet issues with government shutdown gamble
If Republicans are able to persuade enough Democrats to vote yes, the Senate could vote as soon as tomorrow to break the filibuster on this combination bill. This will require 60 years.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks at a news conference with other members of the Senate Republican leadership after a policy luncheon on October 28, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
However, the status of Obamacare subsidies is unclear. Democrats balk at the lack of concrete measures to raise health care premiums.
“They’re looking for an off-ramp,” said a Senate source familiar with Democrats’ thinking.
Thune says ‘wheels have come off’ as Republicans consider next shutdown step
Fox has been told that air traffic control and flight delays are a major consideration in the Democrats’ thinking.
A canceled flight is displayed on the departure screen at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on November 7, 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered cuts to ease strain on air traffic controllers, who are working without pay amid a congressional impasse over funding the US budget. Forty airports were scheduled to slow down, including the mega hubs of Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP)
The Senate GOP leadership is believed to be reluctant to table a vote on the combination spending bill without any guarantee it could break the filibuster.
A Senate source told Fox that it would be “bad form at this stage” to endure a failed procedural vote on a plan that Republicans believe is the only way out of a government shutdown.
Optimism dimmed as Senate Democrats dodge Obamacare demands
Additionally, a break by these Democrats without an agreement on health care would be a blow to progressives and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). It would also mark the first real progress toward reopening the government.
US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) walks to speak at a press conference after the weekly Senate Democratic policy luncheon at the US Capitol on June 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. During the news conference, Senate Democrats spoke to reporters about anti-ICE protests across the country and the recent shooting in Minnesota that left one state lawmaker dead and another injured. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
If enough Democrats say yes, Fox is told the Senate could take a test vote on Saturday night. If the Senate breaks the filibuster, the Senate may not be able to take a final vote on the package until Monday or Tuesday, according to the book. But Fox has been told there is a distinct possibility that Democrats could buy time to speed up the process.
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If the Senate must approve the deal, it is up to the House. But the House’s stand on this law is not clear. And the House won’t even consider the plan until the middle of next week.
However, if the House aligns with the Senate, the government will reopen — at least for a few months.
