After six long weeks, the federal government reopened with the passage of the Republican spending package in Congress. This was Congressional Democrats’ one real opportunity to win changes to improve people’s lives — and eight Senators blew it.

The package required some Democratic votes in the Senate to reach the 60-vote threshold to stop the filibuster and pass. Senate Democrats worked to leverage this limited power to protect healthcare for millions and rein in Trump’s dangerous dismantling of our government. Trump and Congressional Republicans balked at these protections. They refused to negotiate and drove the country into the longest government shutdown in history. 

In the end, eight Senators in the Democratic Caucus ¹Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Angus King (I-ME), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). Sen. Rand Paul (KY) was the only Republican “no.” caved and joined Republicans to pass a spending package with little to show for it. They paved the way for even more dangerous Trump cuts, while failing to secure any meaningful commitments from Congressional Republicans on more affordable healthcare.

This shutdown only emphasized the cruelty of Trump and his allies. And the spending fight to protect clean water funding will continue into 2026. Here’s what you need to know:

Trump’s Shutdown Is Historic for its Length and its Cruelty 

This was no ordinary government shutdown. At 43 days, it was the longest federal shutdown in history, surpassing the record Trump set during his last term. In another unusual and shameful move, Speaker Mike Johnson put the House on a paid vacation throughout it all and longer. 

Beyond the expected dangers of a federal shutdown, Trump’s shutdown was staggering in its cruelty. The Trump administration sought to inflict maximum pain on its political opponents, with regular people suffering the consequences. Trump announced plans to target what he called “Democrat agencies” with mass firings of some 4,000 federal workers. His administration cut or froze nearly $28 billion in infrastructure projects in Democratic jurisdictions.

And for the first time ever, the federal government paused support for SNAP food assistance. The Trump administration refused to use nearly $5 billion in a contingency fund set aside for emergencies. Instead, it illegally withheld SNAP benefits for November. 

After two federal court orders mandated that the administration release the funding, the Trump administration appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to take food away from struggling families. 

The decision to freeze SNAP food assistance used low-income families as pawns. Trump was willing to allow millions to starve to get his way. Hunger was a policy choice Trump and Congressional Republicans made.

The Spending Package Greenlights Trump’s Dangerous Cuts 

So what was included in the deal? The spending package that passed earlier this month included a “continuing resolution,” which extends current funding levels for most of the federal government for just a few months, to January 30, 2026. This includes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the main source of federal funding for safe and clean water. 

Senate Democrats added some protections for federal workers from mass layoffs, undoing Trump’s illegal firings during the shutdown and extending those layoff protections through January 30, 2026. The package also includes full-year bills that fund about 10% of the federal government through September 30, 2026. 

However, the bill doesn’t include the sought-for extension of Affordable Care Act healthcare subsidies, without which many people’s insurance costs will skyrocket; some by hundreds of dollars. The Senate Democrats who voted for this spending package secured only the mere promise of a vote on the extension in December from Republican leadership; House leadership made no such promise. 

Alarmingly, the legislation also contained no protections from Trump’s dangerous rescissions, which are cuts to Congressionally-approved funding that bypass any negotiation with Democrats. Food & Water Watch led a letter from more than 200 groups asking Senate Democratic leadership to use the spending bill to block partisan rescissions.  

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who is the top Democrat appropriator in the House, fought to add such “No Kings” provisions to the full-year spending bills, but she was cut out of negotiations at the last minute. Now, without these protections, Trump and his allies remain empowered to eliminate programs that communities rely on, with little opportunity for Democrats to fight back.

Good News and Bad News on Food

The full-year bills in the spending package included funding for the Department of Agriculture, many of whose programs channel important funds to families and farmers. 

The agriculture bill funds SNAP food assistance for the rest of the fiscal year through September 30, 2026. But that news is less of a relief when the bill does nothing to change the massive cuts to SNAP in Trump’s Big Ugly Bill, which took food assistance away from 4 million people. 

The agriculture spending bill, however, cuts funding for funds that farmers and rural communities rely on, including $100 million from Conservation Technical Assistance and $32.6 million from rural water grants. 

It also includes a major giveaway to large industrial farms, allowing corporate ag giants to grab funds meant for conservation through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program. 

The good news: The spending bill fully funds the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). This is a testament to our work calling attention to the threats to WIC and our members pressuring lawmakers to protect it; the original House spending bill would have underfunded this program by about $600 million over the course of the year. 

Additionally, the deal extends many remaining pieces of the Farm Bill for a year, including funding for research on sustainable and organic agriculture. And fortunately, our advocacy stopped Congress from including a proposal to federally block state and local animal welfare laws, called the EATS Act, in this round of bills. 

The Battle Isn’t Over — Join Our Fight to Fund Safe, Lead-Free Water! 

The Congressional spending battle isn’t over. Much of the federal government, including the EPA and its clean water programs, are only funded until January 30, 2026. Over the next two months, Congress will debate legislation to fund these programs for a full year. Clean water funds may end up on the chopping block. 

House Republicans want to eliminate $662 million from the State Revolving Fund programs, which are the main source of federal funding for safe and clean water. The House’s spending bill (H.R.4754) would cut these funds to the lowest level since 2008. This would mean fewer essential infrastructure improvements that make our water clean, safe, and affordable. 

Meanwhile, the Senate has proposed to eliminate $250 million from funding already provided to replace toxic lead water pipes. The Senate spending bill (S.2431) cuts funding for lead pipe replacements passed in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021. These funds were set to go out the door. This is the last year of funding provided by that law, and communities must get every cent. 

These proposed cuts make lawmakers’ agenda clear: dirty, toxic water. As Congress debates these cuts over the next few months, we’ll be working to make sure they change course and defend clean water funding. Our leaders must do better and protect safe, lead-free water for everyone.