The Eight Senators Who Broke With Democrats to End the Shutdown

The government is a step closer to re-opening and ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The progress in the weeks-long stalemate is the result of eight members of the Senate Democratic Caucus breaking with the Democrats by voting to advance a stopgap funding measure.

The Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, but need a 60-vote majority to pass most legislation, as dictated by the Senate filibuster. The late Sunday night vote saw the Republicans get the 60 “yes” answers they needed, after gaining eight votes across the aisle. Notably, the Republicans lost one vote from their own party, with Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who often goes head-to-head with Trump, voting with the large majority of the Democratic Caucus, instead.

Throughout the shutdown, which entered its