Senate Democrats are poised to help Republicans pass a bill that could lead to the end of the government shutdown . But the deal they're agreeing to doesn't directly address what was once Democrats' key demand : an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are due to expire by year's end.

The Senate took a major step toward ending the shutdown on Sunday night, when eight Democrats in the narrowly divided chamber voted for a procedural motion that paves the way for approval of a negotiated funding bill.

Those eight Democrats, who broke with party leadership, were just enough for the measure to hit the 60-vote threshold required to overcome the filibuster. That rule has prevented Republicans, who hold a slim majority in the Senate, from reopening the government on their own

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