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Fox has learned that Senate Republicans are hopeful that just enough Senate Democrats may be willing to join with them to help break a filibuster on a test vote to fund the government through sometime in January. This proposal would also fund the Department of Agriculture and Department of Veterans Affairs, plus, Congress until Sept. 30, 2026.
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If Republicans are able to coax enough Democrats to vote yes, the Senate could vote as early as tomorrow to break a filibuster on this combination bill. That would require 60 yeas.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks at a press conference with other members of Senate Republican leadership following a policy luncheon in Washington, D.C. on October 28, 2025 (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
However, what is unclear is the status of Obamacare subsidies. Democrats have balked at the lack of a concrete remedy to spiking health care premiums.
“They’re looking for an off-ramp,” said one Senate source familiar with the Democrats’ thinking.
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Fox is told that air traffic control and flight delays are a major consideration in the thinking of the Democrats.
A canceled flight is displayed on a departures screen at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va. on Nov. 7, 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. Forty airports were due to slow down, including the giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP)
It is believed that the Senate GOP leadership is reluctant to force a vote related to the combination spending bill on the floor without a guarantee it could break a filibuster.
One Senate source told Fox it would be “bad form at this stage” to endure a failed procedural vote on a plan which Republicans believe is the only way out of the government shutdown cul-de-sac.
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Moreover, 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 true progress toward re-opening the government.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) walks to speak at a news conference following the weekly Senate Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on June 17, 2025, in Washington, DC. During the news conference Senate Democrats spoke to reporters about the demonstrations against ICE across the country and the recent shootings in Minnesota which killed one state lawmaker and injured another. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
If enough Democrats are yeas, Fox is told the Senate could take a test vote on Saturday night. By the book, if the Senate breaks the filibuster, the Senate may not be able to take a final vote on the package until sometime Monday or Tuesday. But Fox is told there is a distinct possibility that Democrats could yield back time to expedite the process.
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If the Senate were to approve the deal, it’s on to the House. But the House’s disposition is unclear on this legislation. And the House would not even consider this plan until the middle of next week at the earliest.
However, if the House aligns with the Senate, the government would re-open — at least for a couple of months.
