Arizona Senators vote 'No' amid shutdown resolution push

AZ Senators vote 'No' on spending deal as shutdown enters 40th day

Both Arizona Senators voted "No" Sunday night on a spending deal aimed at ending the 40-day government shutdown stalemate. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean hears more from a political analyst.

PHOENIX - It's day 40 in the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, with a Senate procedural vote set to try to bring it all to an end. 

The Senate appears to have reached a deal that could pave the way to reopen the federal government, which would extend government funding until January. 

Local perspective:

The main message for Arizonans is this: Hold tight. The vote Sunday night doesn't mean the government is immediately back open, and the much-needed cash is going out. 

"Arizona voters are really gonna be watching to see who's the voice of sanity, who's the adult in the room," said Mike Noble, founder and CEO of Noble Predictive Insights.

As the government shutdown entered its 40th night, political analysts weighed in.

"That's essentially how we've gotten here is that Democrats' stance is that you still have to negotiate because the numbers in the House, even if the bill passes in the House, are very tight, and then we know in the Senate with the filibuster you need at least 60 votes," said Dr. Larry J. Walker, political analyst and associate professor at the University of Central Florida.

What they're saying:

Those 60 votes came, but not through either of Arizona's Democratic state senators.

Sen. Ruben Gallego shared a statement that reads in part, "I cannot in good faith vote for a show vote that does nothing to guarantee that 24 million Americans get the health care they deserve."

Sen. Mark Kelly also voted no and backed up that vote in a statement that reads in part, "In the richest country in the world, families shouldn’t have to choose between putting food on the table and their health care. But that’s exactly what Donald Trump has done to Americans with this shutdown."

Dig deeper:

With neither on the ballot in the 2026 midterms, one political analyst suggests their no votes also stem from a lack of vulnerability with voters.

"If you're a senator who just won an election a year or two ago, it gives you a bit more leeway to say, well, maybe if you're Democrat, I'm not gonna support this bill because all we're gonna get is the vote on the Affordable Care Act subsidies," Dr. Walker said.

But that decision may not benefit incumbents long-term, according to Noble.

"In a state that prizes independence, chaos doesn't sell, and that's exactly what we're watching right now. So I think they can only do it for so long for these incumbents to actually get up and have to do something until Arizona voters are gonna be like, 'Why did we put these people in charge, because if not, we'll pick anybody but them,'" Noble said.

What's next:

While some action took place in Washington Sunday night, the House must take over, which could come with its own challenges.

"Speaker Johnson has been pretty adamant about, they've done their work, obviously they haven't been in session very much for the last couple of months, and then you're seeing moderate Democrats on the House side that say they don't think this is a good idea. So I know a lot of people out there are struggling, but this is far from over," Dr. Walker stated.

FOX 10 reached out to Senators Gallego and Kelly for an interview on their decision to vote no tonight. We have not heard back at this time.