The U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan agreement Monday night aimed at ending the 43-day federal government shutdown. The measure cleared the chamber with a 60–40 vote and now heads to the House for consideration. Speaker Johnson has called members back to Washington, expressing hope that the shutdown can be resolved “as quickly as possible.” The House is scheduled to convene at noon today to vote on the rule governing debate, followed by a final vote on the bill itself, which is widely expected to pass.

Negotiations were led by New Hampshire Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, and independent Angus King of Maine, with support from Democrats Catherine Cortez Masto and Jackie Rosen of Nevada, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Dick Durbin of Illinois, and Tim Kaine of Virginia.

The new continuing resolution includes Senate versions of full-year appropriations bills for Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, and the legislative branch, and a one-year extension of the Farm Bill. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would be fully funded under the agriculture appropriations measure. The rest of the government would be funded through January 30, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

Federal LIHEAP funds have been on hold since FY26 appropriations lapsed on October 1. This delay created a concerning gap in federal energy assistance as temperatures have dropped across the nation. The impact has been compounded by earlier workforce reductions, with all federal LIHEAP staff having been terminated earlier this year, leaving program management to a handful of staff in other offices who were subsequently furloughed last month. It is worth noting, however, that the CR guarantees backup pay for furloughed government employees and reverses firings, or Reductions in Force (RIFs), since the shutdown began.

Once the spending measure is enacted and signed by the President, relevant HHS staff are expected to resume work and begin preparing state allocations, reviewing model plans, and initiating distribution of FY26 LIHEAP funding. This process may take several weeks to complete. NEFI is a member and serves on the board of the National Energy and Utility Affordability Coalition (NEUAC), which has been keeping us informed of developments as they advocate for LIHEAP here in Washington. Your support for our annual advocacy fund supports our continued work in this area.

Progressive Democrats oppose the new CR because it does not include an extension of health insurance subsidies set to expire at year's end, which precipitated the shutdown in the first place. The deal includes only a promise to vote on related legislation, with unclear details. Early indications suggest House conservatives are open to the deal, and crossover votes from moderate Democrats such as Jared Golden of Maine and Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey are possible, providing Speaker Johnson additional cushion in the vote count.

We will continue to keep you updated as this situation develops. For more information, contact Liam Dotson, NEFI Manager of Government Affairs.