After 14 failed votes on a spending bill to reopen the government, five additional Democratic senators finally broke with their party for a variety of reasons on Sunday night advancing legislation to end the 41-day standoff.

The newly dissenting Democrats — Sens. Tim Kaine of Virginia, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, and Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire — cited new language in the resolution, including a promise for a vote on extending Obamacare subsidies as the basis for their “yes” vote on funding the government Sunday — after doing the opposite more than a dozen times. The Democrats also highlighted ongoing shutdown pains including lapsed food aid, missed paychecks and air travel disruptions, as a driving factor for agreeing to the deal.

The five flipped Democrats joined Independent Maine Sen. Angus King, Democratic Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman — a trio who have consistently voted yes on the GOP funding resolution since the beginning of the shutdown — to meet the 60-vote filibuster-proof threshold.

Among the group of eight, Sens. Durbin and Shaheen are notably retiring at the end of their current term. None of the breakaway Democrats are running for reelection in 2026.

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 09: Sen. Angus King (I-ME) speaks during a press conference following a vote on Capitol Hill on November 9, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Senate convened for a rare Sunday session in an attempt to end the government shutdown. (Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

“Today’s bill is not the same one we’ve voted down 14 times. Republicans finally woke up and realized their Groundhog Day needed to end,” Durbin wrote in a Sunday X post. “This bill is not perfect, but it takes important steps to reduce their shutdown’s hurt. Not only would it fully fund SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] for the year ahead, but it would reverse the mass firings the Trump Administration ordered throughout the shutdown.”

“Now that Democrats secured these wins, it’s time for [Senate Majority] Leader [John] Thune to keep his promise to schedule a vote on the ACA tax credits in December,” Durbin continued. “[W]e will see to it that he makes good on his word for the millions of Americans worried they won’t be able to afford health care in January.”

The promise of a vote to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) — Obamacare — tax credits, a lynchpin of Sunday’s agreement, was vigorously rejected during the shutdown standoff, with Democrats repeating over the last month that the level of trust necessary to work with GOP leadership was simply not there. Thune has promised Democrats a vote on extending the ACA subsidies since mid-October. (RELATED: Eight Senate Democratic Caucus Members Defy Chuck Schumer To Advance Deal That Would End Shutdown)

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 09: Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), left, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), center, and Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), right, arrive for a press conference following a vote on Capitol Hill on November 9, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Senate convened for a rare Sunday session in an attempt to end the government shutdown. (Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

Shaheen said on Sunday that her priorities are to “both reopen government and extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits,” and that the deal agreed to on Sunday evening was a way to reach both of these goals.