Amid public forums and local cries for help, states are also talking with large health systems, technology companies, and others amid intensifying competition for shares of a $50 billion fund to improve rural health.

Senators are aiming to break the shutdown stalemate Sunday. Senators are cautiously optimistic that they have at least the eight Democrats needed to advance the House-passed funding stopgap Sunday, according to four people granted anonymity to disclose private discussions. No Democrats have publicly flipped their position and bipartisan talks are ongoing. But privately senators believe there is a critical mass of Democrats who are ready to end the longest government shutdown in history, the people added. The fresh glimmer of optimism comes as senators are finalizing a three-bill package of full-year bills to fund several agencies. The first two, funding for veterans programs and agriculture, were released Sunday afternoon. A funding bill for the legislative branch is expected to be released soon. The three full-year funding bills are a key part of the tentative agreement that a bipartisan group of senators have been discussing for weeks. The contours of the deal the group has discussed include attaching the bills to an updated stopgap funding bill that would keep the rest of the government open through Jan. 30. As part of the potential deal, Republicans would also commit to giving Democrats a vote on soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act subsidies once the government reopens, with the vote likely happening next month. Republicans also believe at least part of the federal workforce laid off during the shutdown would be brought back as part of a deal blessed by the White House, one person granted anonymity to share the discussions said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that the “plan” is to vote for a 15th time on Sunday to try to advance the House-passed continuing resolution, which will be the vehicle for the larger funding deal. Even if senators break a filibuster on Sunday, progressives could drag out passage of the deal for days. Speeding it up would require consent from all 100 senators. The House would then need to come back to Washington to pass the agreement before the government would reopen. It would not be the first time senators thought they were at the cusp of a deal only for things to unravel. Roughly a dozen members of the Senate Democratic Caucus were believed to be ready last week to vote to reopen the government but those flipped votes never materialized after the party’s off-year election rout. Lead Art: Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks with reporters as he arrives for a Senate Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on the 38th day of a government shutdown, Nov. 7, 2025. | Francis Chung/POLITICO