Overnight, we finally saw some movement in the Senate on the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. As this Axios article notes, last night the Senate voted 60-40 in an important procedural vote that signaled a bipartisan deal had been reached to fund federal departments and agencies for anywhere from a few months to the entire remaining fiscal year. The article states:

The final tally on the procedural vote was 60-40. Eight Democrats voted “yes” with Republicans, while Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the lone GOP “no” vote. Sixty votes were required to advance the measure.

– Additional votes are needed before the package can be sent to the House where it also will need to pass before the government can reopen.

– The path to House passage could be a tricky one.

– It is not yet clear if Senate Democrats and Paul will allow the remaining voting process to be expedited or if they will force the multi-day process to play out in full.

While at this stage we have no certainty as to whether the measure will be successful or when a resolution could be achieved, much like the 2018-2019 shutdown, significant disruptions to air travel have prompted action by at least some in Congress. As we are now less than two and a half weeks away from the busy Thanksgiving travel window, there is a clock ticking on the ongoing negotiations.

– Dave Lynn