• Nevada Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto broke party lines to end the federal government shutdown
• Rosen and Cortez Masto say they’ll now focus on extending ACA health care tax provisions

On Sunday night, the United States Senate, after 14 previous votes in the chamber fell short of the 60 votes needed to move a government spending bill forward, approved a short-term funding measure by a 60-40 vote. Nevada’s two senators played a key role in getting the critical statute that would end the six-week federal government shutdown across the Senate finish line.

Nevada’s US Sens. Jacky Rosen (left) and Catherine Cortez Masto are pictured on the Senate floor on Rosen’s birthday, Aug. 2, 2025. The Democratic Senators broke with party lines to support the Republicans’ continuing resolution to end the federal government shutdown. (Image: X)

The continuing resolution passed by the Senate late Sunday night is based on House Resolution 5371, which the House had passed in September. The amended bill provides federal government funding through Jan. 1, with a later vote on whether to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health care tax provisions that expire come 2026.

Online prediction markets now give the US government reopening this year a more than 99% chance. The latest odds suggest the shutdown will be remedied this week.

Casino State Senators Vote ‘Yes’ 

Federal spending bills need a three-fifths majority in Congress. With Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul voting against the continuing resolution, primarily because of his opposition to what he considers more excessive government spending, Republicans, holding 53 seats in the Senate, including Paul, have been trying to find eight votes.

On Sunday, they finally realized them, with Nevada’s Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen among the two “yay” casts. Cortez Masto and Rosen represent the state home to Las Vegas, the casino capital of the country.

For the last 40 days, I’ve been fighting tooth and nail to hold President Trump and my Republican colleagues accountable and make sure Congress takes action to prevent a massive spike in health care costs for millions of hardworking families who will be financially devastated by these increases. Unfortunately, it’s become clear as we go deeper into the second month of this Republican government shutdown that President Trump and Washington Republicans are weaponizing their power in alarming ways to inflict unimaginable pain and suffering on working people, like fully withholding SNAP benefits and gutting our tourism industry by grinding air travel to a halt,” said Rosen.

Rosen said her “concession” in voting “yes” allows Congress to “get closer to extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits.”

“I have consistently voted against shutting down the government because I know the pain it is causing working families, from TSA agents to government contractors. We must extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits, but that can’t come at the expense of the millions of Americans across our country impacted by a shutdown,” said Cortez Masto.

Other Democrats voting in favor of the Senate measure last night included Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Maggie Hassan (ME), Tim Kaine (VA), Dick Durbin (IL), John Fetterman (PA),  and Independent Sen. Angus King (ME).

Travel Resumption 

A key factor in Cortez Masto and Rosen lending their support to the Senate spending plan was presumably that the shutdown’s end means the FAA will ground its recent order on airlines to greatly reduce flight traffic. The mandate came as air traffic controller staffing issues increased.

Las Vegas tourism is reeling this year, with visitor volume down about 8%. Passenger traffic at Harry Reid International is almost 5% lower.

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