On the 42nd day of the longest federal shutdown in U.S. history, the U.S. Senate has attracted bipartisan support for a new deal that could lead to reopening the government. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 proposal -that passed 60-40- will extend government funding through a continuing resolution (CR). The package provides education and other domestic spending funds at current FY 2025 levels for  9 of the nation’s 12 spending bills through January 30, 2026, and it finalizes FY 2026 spending for three federal appropriations bills (Military Construction, Agriculture, Legislative Branch). The Senate CR punts all final appropriations decisions for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and other K-12 programs that come through the Labor-Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (Labor-H) appropriations bill into next year. The new Senate deal also reinstates federal workers and prohibits any federally directed layoffs through a reduction in force (RIF) until January 30. This means the RIF conducted by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and other agencies in October cannot go into effect for the duration of the deal through January 30. It also reinforces, consistent with current law, that all furloughed federal employees are to be paid for their time during the shutdown. In exchange for their votes, the eight Democrats who supported the new plan secured a commitment that the Senate would vote by mid-December on extending the expired health care tax credits that have been central to Democrats’ demands. Once the Senate advances the bill, if the House and the White House both agree, federal workers could return to work before the end of the week.